Analyzing Week 3 fantasy performances in Carolina Panthers’ win

The Carolina Panthers won their first game of the 2020 season by beating the Los Angeles Chargers in yet another game that came down to the wire. Here’s how several Panthers performed in fantasy.

The Carolina Panthers continued their historic dominance of the Los Angeles Chargers by beating them 21-16 and improving to 6-1 in the series between the two teams.

The Panthers are now 1-2 in the young NFL season and will have a big challenge next week at home against early MVP contender Kyler Murray.

Going into Sunday’s matchup, the national media fawned over the performance of Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert against a championship-caliber Kansas City Chiefs team the week prior. Experts overwhelmingly picked Los Angeles to win, assuming their dynamic offensive playmakers would eviscerate a Panthers defense that had allowed more than 30 points in the previous two contests.

That was not the case.

The Panthers defense played an almost flawless game by getting three takeaways, two sacks, and holding Los Angeles to 16 points. They also kept the Chargers running threat under control by holding lead back Austin Ekeler to 12 carries for 59 yards and one touchdown.

It was not the same without All-Pro Christian McCaffrey, but the offense benefited from favorable field position, zero turnovers, and a perfect day from kicker Joey Slye.

This win marks the first win of Matt Rhule’s NFL head-coaching career.

Fun fact: Rhule has started his career record the same way Carolina’s previous head coach Ron Rivera began in 2011, going 1-2 through three weeks with the first victory coming in Week 3.

Here’s some fantasy analysis to guide you in Week 4 when the Panthers host the Arizona Cardinals.