Panthers fantasy football outlook for Week 11 vs. Washington

Which Carolina Panthers players should you start or sit in fantasy football during their Week 11 game against the Washington Football Team?

Hope is back in the Carolinas.

With the return of Cam Newton and an impressive 34-10 victory at the Arizona Cardinals, the Carolina Panthers are back in the playoff picture with a chance to be above .500. Their opponent, the Washington Football Team, is 3-6 and lost their best player in Chase Young during an impressive win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Panthers are the better team and should win. But it’s how they win that people will pay attention to.

It seems some – perhaps most – national NFL analysts are stuck on the idea that Newton is a “bad” starting quarterback. Let’s revisit his number’s with the New England Patriots.

Through 15 games, the 2015 NFL MVP completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,249 total yards, 20 total touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. With Newton as the starter on a depleted New England roster, the Patriots went 7-8.

While that production isn’t elite, it’s very far from bad, and that’s without going into detail about the circumstances around Newton’s play – like recovering from COVID-19 which is widely known to have lingering effects on the body.

The bottom line is that Newton has the opportunity to prove doubters wrong by showing prowess as a passer and leading the Panthers to a win over his former head coach, Ron Rivera.

If last week is any indication, fantasy owners should also have reason to hope in the Panthers again. Here’s my fantasy advice for this weekend’s tilt.

Note: All fantasy point totals are based on NFL.com’s scoring system.