Carolina Panthers fantasy football outlook for Week 9 vs. the Patriots

Which Carolina Panthers players should you start or sit in fantasy football during their Week 9 game against the New England Patriots?

The Carolina Panthers narrowly escaped a mostly empty Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a win over the Atlanta Falcons. The defense held up their end of the bargain and neutralized rookie tight-end Kyle Pitts – to the chagrin of his fantasy owners – and picked off quarterback Matt Ryan twice to secure the 19-13 victory and move to 4-4 on the season.

Despite having a magnificent game by his standards, Panthers signal-caller Sam Darnold left the contest banged up with a concussion and injury to his throwing shoulder, which muddies up any certainty on when he will return as the full-time starter.

All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey was designated to return from injured reserve this week but still may be limited against this Sunday. However, nobody feels sorry for anyone in the NFL and the Panthers will be tested against a New England Patriots team that expects to make a playoff push in the weaker AFC.

There’s a fun stat to chew on before we dive into the fantasy side of things. The Panthers are 4-3 all-time against the Patriots, but New England has outscored Carolina 174-149 in the series.

Let’s hope the Panthers make that 5-3. Here are the players you should start and sit in Week 9.