NFL Fantasy Overview: Broncos vs. Panthers
![DeMarcus Ware and Cam Newton by Arnie Papp. 2016. CC BY 2.0.](https://pacechronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-10-at-3.52.16-PM.png)
“DeMarcus Ware and Cam Newton” by Arnie Papp. 2016. CC BY 2.0.
September 10, 2016
The Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers rallied against each other on Thursday night for the first game of the 2016 season since Superbowl 50.
The teams were neck and neck with each other up until the end of the fourth quarter where the Panthers’ kicker, Graham Gano, missed the game-winning field goal, resulting in a 21-20 loss.
This should not come as a surprise as Fantasy football fans and/or Carolina Panthers fans, as Graham Gano has a career record of 14-25 with 50+ yard kicks. However, this loss does come as a shock to the Panthers, who were projected to win against the Broncos at home. So, as it seems, the Broncos defense still has the same spark as they did last year, fantasy players.
Now, let’s take a look at a couple offensive players who looked impressive and who you should keep your eye on:
QBs: Trevor Siemian (DEN)– Now before you laugh, hear me out. Thursday was Siemian’s first NFL game ever as a starting quarterback and he did not look as bad as experts expected him to look. First, he was going up against a talented Panthers defense, which ranked sixth in the entire NFL. The quarterback ended up going 18-26 for 178. Not bad for his first game, especially after going against a gifted defense.
RBs: CJ Anderson (DEN) – This one is easy. The guy earned himself 137 yards and two touchdowns in this game. Also, as previously mentioned, that was no ordinary defense he was going against. Not even Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who had ten tackles during this game, could stop Anderson. So, it seems like CJ is motivated and wants to prove himself to his teammates and to his fans, especially after last year’s performance.
WRs: Kelvin Benjamin (CAR) – As many of us know, Kelvin Benjamin tore his ACL during the preseason of last year, which ended his 2015 season and made him a risk for fantasy football. However, from looking at this matchup, he is Cam Newton’s go-to guy. He was targeted 12 times throughout the game and caught six passes for 91 yards and one touchdown. After coming off a serious injury like a torn ACL, Kelvin’s performance was definitely better than expected.
And that’s a wrap! Because this was less of an offensive game and more of a defensive game, I’ve listed only three eye-catching players.
As for next week’s post, I will be looking more closely at the rookies from the draft and grade them on their performance and potential!