It's been five games, so it's a big enough sample to say that the Carolina Panthers are an elite fantasy football offense. Every week, they have multiple players worth starting. This would've seemed impossible in the preseason, especially with Jonathon Brooks hurt.
Jalen Coker, Chuba Hubbard, and Darren Waller are among those players. This week, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, should you start or sit these players?
Jalen Coker start or sit advice
Jalen Coker is in a difficult spot. He's the WR2 on this roster even though he does kind of match Tetairoa McMillan in production when both are healthy. That gives him a boost in defensive coverage, as he won't often draw the best cornerback.
It also means he's not going to get as much love from Bryce Young, although there will be plenty of weeks in which he does. But ultimately, Coker has produced when he's been healthy, and he is healthy.
The Buccaneers' secondary is not great against wide receivers this year, so Coker is not a bad play unless your wide receiver room is just incredibly deep.
Verdict: Start
Chuba Hubbard start or sit advice
Chuba Hubbard has been one of the best fantasy football running backs this year. He's getting a good amount of yardage and scoring at a ridiculous pace. That might slow, but there's no reason to expect a complete dropoff this week.
The Tampa Bay defense is ridiculously stout against the run. However, they're weak against the pass, and the Panthers have been passing to open up the second-half run game against tired defenses. That should happen here.
Plus, unless you somehow have two top-10 running backs also on your roster, you can't afford to bench Hubbard for a less-than-ideal matchup.
Verdict: Start
Darren Waller start or sit advice
The Panthers have too many tight ends to worry about, making starting Darren Waller on a given week a tough sell. He is the premier passing target among the three, but the Panthers use the other two so much for blocking.
Waller is essentially touchdown-dependent at this point. He is likely to get a few catches, but unless he scores, then six or seven points isn't going to cut it. However, the Buccaneers are a good matchup for tight ends, and the tight end position is notoriously hard to manage in fantasy.
Verdict: Sit unless you're in desperate need of a Hail Mary attempt
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