The Carolina Panthers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Bryce Young.
Is Bryce Young Playing in Week 13?
Young is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any unexpected setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Panthers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Bryce Young in Week 13?
Bryce Young has looked better of late, and I think part of it is Carolina giving him the potential to do so. Against the Chiefs last week, the Panthers opened with three passes on their first four plays, a run of plays that saw their second-year QB complete passes to three different players.
It’s true that Young has finished inside the top 15 in two of his past three starts and that the Buccaneers defense has been vulnerable. However, starting him in a week with 31 other teams in action is borderline crazy.
It’s perfectly okay to say you’re encouraged by Young’s recent play while still not wanting to invest a penny in him this week — that’s where I stand.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Bryce Young’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Young is projected to score 10.5 fantasy points in Week 13. This includes 169.9 passing yards, 0.7 passing touchdowns, and 0.9 interceptions. It also includes 2.7 rushing attempts for 13 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Buccaneers' Defense
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense matched their best performance of the season in Week 12. However, that is faint praise, given it was a matchup against Tommy DeVito in his first start of the season. Their previous best performance came against Spencer Rattler in his first start of the year.
To this point, Tampa Bay has only proven that it can beat up on backup quarterbacks. Even its ninth-ranked performance against the Eagles came against a team devastated by injuries at the time. Meanwhile, it has a terrible history when facing better offenses.
One saving grace with the Buccaneers is that they've played the hardest schedule to date but face the easiest schedule going forward.
We may continue to see improvements in the coming weeks, but that might not be indicative of a major improvement -- rather just an easing of the schedule. Whatever happens in the next few weeks, Tampa Bay's defense will be an area of concern if it makes the playoffs.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Bryce Young’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 QB PPR Rankings
1) Jalen Hurts | PHI (at BAL)
2) Josh Allen | BUF (vs. SF)
3) Lamar Jackson | BAL (vs. PHI)
4) Justin Herbert | LAC (at ATL)
5) Jayden Daniels | WAS (vs. TEN)
6) Joe Burrow | CIN (vs. PIT)
7) Kyler Murray | ARI (at MIN)
8) C.J. Stroud | HOU (at JAX)
9) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at GB)
10) Patrick Mahomes | KC (vs. LV)
11) Baker Mayfield | TB (at CAR)
12) Bo Nix | DEN (vs. CLE)
13) Russell Wilson | PIT (at CIN)
14) Anthony Richardson | IND (at NE)
15) Brock Purdy | SF (at BUF)
16) Jordan Love | GB (vs. MIA)
17) Jared Goff | DET (vs. CHI)
18) Sam Darnold | MIN (vs. ARI)
19) Drake Maye | NE (vs. IND)
20) Matthew Stafford | LAR (at NO)
21) Kirk Cousins | ATL (vs. LAC)
22) Geno Smith | SEA (at NYJ)
23) Derek Carr | NO (vs. LAR)
24) Jameis Winston | CLE (at DEN)
25) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (vs. SEA)
26) Caleb Williams | CHI (at DET)
27) Bryce Young | CAR (vs. TB)
28) Drew Lock | NYG (at DAL)
29) Cooper Rush | DAL (vs. NYG)
30) Will Levis | TEN (at WAS)
31) Mac Jones | JAX (vs. HOU)
32) Trevor Lawrence | JAX (vs. HOU)
33) Aidan O'Connell | LV (at KC)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers Trends
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Team: Tampa Bay closed last regular season by winning five of six games, a run they might need to replicate this year to make the playoffs.
QB: Baker Mayfield completed five of six deep passes on Sunday against the Giants with Mike Evans back in the mix. He completed five-of-17 such attempts in the three games prior.
Offense: The Bucs have scored a touchdown on 12-of-15 red zone drives over their past four games (80%).
Defense: In Week 12 against the Giants, the Bucs allowed seven points on 10 drives (0.7 points per drive). In their four games prior, 3.1 points were allowed per drive.
Fantasy: Rookie running backs over the past decade to have multiple games with at least 40 rushing yards and six receptions: Alvin Kamara (five), Saquon Barkley (four), Najee Harris (three), James Robinson (two), Bijan Robinson (two), and Bucky Irving (two).
Betting: After six straight overs, consecutive Tampa Bay games have checked in under the closing total.
Carolina Panthers
Team: Carolina has played three straight games decided by three or fewer points (their first eight games this season were all decided by double digits).
QB: Bryce Young averaged 7.5 yards per pass against Kansas City, his best showing in a start since Week 16 of last season (vs. Packers).
Offense: The Panthers averaged 44.6 yards per drive against the Chiefs, 23.9% better than in any other game this season.
Defense: Over their past three games, Carolina has allowed a touchdown on just five-of-12 (41.7%) of red zone trips (NFL average: 56.7%).
Fantasy: Until the usage changes, there’s no reason to hesitate in playing Chuba Hubbard – he’s cleared 18.5 expected fantasy points in three straight games, his second such streak of the season.
Betting: Over their past seven Week 13 games, the Panthers are 1-6 ATS with overs going 6-1.