Panthers in Fantasyland: Week 12

Jeff “Tito” Thitoff works for Fantasy Draft Proxies, a service that assists people in drafts and decisions throughout the seasons on starting lineups, trades and waivers. Tito has played fantasy football since 1980, with his first pick ever being Cleveland QB Brian Sipe. He hosted a fantasy football radio show for eight years on the ESPN affiliate in Columbus, Ohio. Here are his Week 12 suggestions:

We’ll start where we normally do, with a focus on the Carolina Panthers. They have a tough road matchup at New Orleans.

In two games last year, Christian McCaffrey had a total of 160 yards and didn’t score a touchdown (although the last game was a throwaway game in which he barely played). 

In 2017, the Panthers and Saints met three times. CMC rushed for a total of 48 yards on 16 carries. He did catch 20 passes for 235 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns. 

The bottom line is this, however – I am not expecting a monster game from him. Over 100 total yards? Sure. Multiple touchdowns? Probably not. You are still starting him, no matter what.

Continue to ride DJ Moore as well. In his last five games he is averaging 11 targets a game. I know he only has one score on the season (on 94 total targets), but the numbers have to turn around. He will find the end zone this week.

With Kansas City (Travis Kelce) and the LA Chargers (Hunter Henry) off this week, Greg Olsen jumps a bit in my rankings. I have him seventh among tight ends.

Joey Slye will finish in the top-10 among kickers this week, but I would steer clear of the Carolina defense/special teams.

Tom Brady is apparently frustrated with the lack of production by the offense, and the news that Mohamed Sanu may have a high-ankle sprain doesn’t help. 

This could be a big game for N’Keal Harry, as he could see significantly more looks, but I look for a guy like James White to get more targets out of the backfield. The weather might be cold and windy with rain in Foxborough, which could also mean more of a focus on the running game and Sony Michel.

It looks like JuJu Smith-Schuster could miss Pittsburgh’s matchup with Cincinnati, which could force the Steelers to rely even more on the running game. With James Connor dinged up, that could lead to a big game for Jaylen Samuels.

I think Cleveland’s offense is due for a breakout performance, and I love Nick Chubb and Odell Beckham Jr. this week. Can’t quite get behind Baker Mayfield yet, but I think Kareem Hunt gets a touchdown as the Browns eclipse 30 points against Miami.