The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 4 matchup between the Panthers and Bengals.
Find a breakdown of every Week 4 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Cincinnati | Rank | @ | Carolina | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -4.5 | Spread | 4.5 | ||
| 26 | Implied Total | 21.5 | ||
| 22.7 | 13 | Points/Gm | 16.3 | 26 |
| 26.7 | 26 | Points All./Gm | 31.7 | 32 |
| 56.3 | 26 | Plays/Gm | 57 | 25 |
| 60 | 14 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 62 | 20 |
| 5.8 | 11 | Off. Yards/Play | 4.6 | 27 |
| 5.2 | 14 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.7 | 23 |
| 34.32% | 29 | Rush% | 40.35% | 19 |
| 65.68% | 4 | Pass% | 59.65% | 14 |
| 57.22% | 32 | Opp. Rush % | 52.15% | 26 |
| 42.78% | 1 | Opp. Pass % | 47.85% | 7 |
- After converting only 2 third downs (2-of-22) over the opening two weeks, Carolina was 5-of-12 on third downs in Week 3.
- Andy Dalton has now made two starts for Carolina. In those games, they have averaged 3.0 and 2.25 points per drive, two of their top four games in points per drive over the past two seasons.
- The Panthers had their highest pass rate over expectation (6%) in Week 3 after a -10% rate the opening two weeks.
- The Bengals allowed four plays of 20-plus yards on Monday Night after allowing the league’s fewest (one) in Weeks 1-2.
- Cincinnati is the first team to lose two games outright in the first three weeks as 7-point favorites or more since they last did it in 2022. Before that, you have to go back to 2012.
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Joe Burrow (TRUST): After a down Week 1 outing again (QB27), Burrow has bounced back with QB9 (17.2 points) and QB7 (25.4 points) performances the past two weeks.
He took advantage of a soft Washington defense on Monday Night, setting season highs in completions (29), yards (324), and touchdowns (3).
Burrow leads the NFL with a 131.0 rating when pressured, connecting on 13-of-20 (65.0%) of those passes for 9.9 yards per pass attempt and 2 touchdowns.
That should not be a major factor here, as Carolina’s pressure rate is 28th (28.0%).
That has been relevant because when Carolina has not pressured the opposing passer, they have allowed a 117.4 rating (29th), surrendering 7.6 yards per pass attempt (20th) and 5 touchdowns (29th).
With Andy Dalton starting for Carolina, the Bengals should get pushback while the Bengals are once again pass-heavy, sporting a pass rate 7% over expectations to open the year.
Andy Dalton: We were looking for a level of competency from this offense, turning things over to Dalton in Week 3, and we got far more than that.
Dalton was the QB8 (24.6 points) on the week, completing 26-of-37 passes (70.3%) for 319 yards (8.6 Y/A) and 3 passing touchdowns.
Dalton got rid of the football last week.
His 2.01 seconds per pass attempt was the quickest in the league in Week 3.
When Dalton threw the ball under 2.5 seconds, he was 22-of-29 for 8.1 Y/A with 2 touchdowns.
When Bryce Young threw the ball under 2.5 seconds in Weeks 1-2, he was 31st in the league with a 48.8 rating, throwing for 4.3 Y/A with 2 interceptions.
Dalton has made two starts with Carolina, finishing as a QB1 fantasy scorer in both games.
While we will keep expectations in check based on that small sample, Dalton is in another good spot for those gamers who grabbed him in 2QB formats.
The Bengals have opened the season 23rd in passing points per attempt (0.459).
This pass defense has struggled when they have not gotten to the quarterback.
When they have not pressured the opposing quarterback, the Bengals have allowed an 82.1% completion rate (30th) and 8.2 yards per pass attempt (25th).
Running Back
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More Week 4 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Cowboys @ Giants -- FREE | Thursday Night Football |
| Broncos @ Jets | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Saints @ Falcons | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Rams @ Bears | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Vikings @ Packers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Steelers @ Colts | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Eagles @ Bucs | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Panthers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jaguars @ Texans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Commanders @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ 49ers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Raiders | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Chargers | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Bills @ Ravens | Sunday Night Football |
| Titans @ Dolphins -- FREE | Monday Night Football |
| Seahawks @ Lions -- FREE | Monday Night Football |
