With Sam Darnold expected to start today against the Patriots in Week 9, how much can fantasy football managers trust him as a deep-league streamer? More importantly, perhaps, is whether managers can trust DJ Moore and, to a lesser extent, the struggling Robby Anderson. Here’s how the Panthers’ quarterback’s injury status will affect Carolina’s offense today.
Sam Darnold’s Week 9 fantasy outlook
It’s hard to comprehend what went wrong. Coming off three relatively dismal and injury-plagued seasons with the Jets, the 24-year-old Darnold was trying to revive his career after being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. His first four games for Carolina were electric from a fantasy perspective: 19.1 points, 18.9, 25.3, and then 31.5 against Dallas in Week 4. Suddenly, Darnold was no longer a reclamation project. He had arrived.
But beyond the gaudy stats, there were yellow flags. Half of his 10 TDs came on the ground. That clip would not be sustainable. And despite averaging over 8 yards per pass attempt, he had 5 passing TDs and 3 interceptions — not the kind of numbers one would hope for from a reliable fantasy QB. Despite enjoying a fairly easy schedule, Darnold regressed sharply in Weeks 5-8: 6.1 fantasy points, 15.1, 2.5, and then 11.8 against the anemic Falcons defense.
Now Darnold is recovering from a shoulder injury and a concussion. He’s also facing a New England defense ranked third in opposing QB rating (82.5). It’s a brutal situation for a struggling QB on a team on the precipice of fading from postseason contention, especially when considering their final four games of the season will be against the Bucs (twice), Bills, and Saints.
I cannot rationalize starting Darnold as anything more than a fringe top-18 QB. He is a higher-than-normal re-injury risk, is facing a stout pass defense, and has struggled to manufacture QB touchdowns (only 2 in his last four games). Comparably valued quarterbacks like Tyrod Taylor and Daniel Jones offer far more upside this week.
DJ Moore and Robby Anderson’s Week 9 fantasy outlook
Darnold’s regression has transformed Moore from an elite fantasy WR in Weeks 1-4 to a WR3 in Weeks 5-8. The good news is that he’s still averaging double-digit targets. And because this is such a top-heavy passing attack, Moore should benefit from any improvement to Carolina’s offense. In the meantime, he will remain a WR3 in a game where Carolina probably won’t exceed 20 points.
Related | Christian McCaffrey Start/Sit Week 9: Is McCaffrey an instant RB1?
As for Anderson, few WRs drafted in the middle rounds this past summer have been more disappointing. His season can be summed up by what happened in Weeks 4-7: an average of 7.4 fantasy points per game despite averaging 9.5 targets. That’s almost unheard of in the NFL. And last week he was phased out with only 1 target, meaning he can’t be considered even a deep-league streamer unless or until he returns to the offensive fold.
