Fantasy football outlook for Panthers in Week 11 vs. Lions
Joey Slye – Carolina Panthers K
Joey Slye had a solid outing and delivered on every opportunity he got which is all you can ask for from a kicker. He made both PAT attempts and one 46 yard field goal. He was the cherry on top for the Panthers’ special teams unit which outplayed the offense and defense for the first time all season.
One underrated aspect of Slye’s game this season has been his ability to consistently kick touchbacks on kickoffs. In a game of inches, it helps those kickoffs don’t assist opposing teams to get better field position and the Panthers haven’t given up a kick return touchdown all year.
Start or Sit in Week 11?
START.
Slye is the only Panthers player I have confidence in starting this week. Whoever plays at quarterback should be able to move the ball with some success against this porous Lions defense. Even if it doesn’t lead to touchdowns, I wouldn’t be shocked if Slye had at least four field-goal attempts.
Carolina Panthers DST
For the entire year, the Carolina Panthers’ defense had been hanging together by a thread despite a lack of talent of several key injuries. We saw the defense unravel for the first time all season in the second half against Tampa Bay. Carolina gave up 544 yards and 46 points during the Week 10 loss and matched their worst fantasy score (-1) since Week 1.
Team captain and outside linebacker Shaq Thompson held the team accountable after the loss by way of what was reportedly a passionate locker room speech. The defense has a lot more questions than answers but from a special teams standpoint, it was encouraging to see a kick-off return almost make it into the end zone.
Start or Sit in Week 11?
SIT.
The Panthers’ defense could have a bounce-back week, but it won’t be a big enough improvement to justify starting it in any fantasy situation. Matthew Stafford is still a very talented quarterback even without the accolades and he may get more opportunities if Carolina’s offense can’t sustain drives.