The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 6 matchup between the Panthers and Falcons.
Find a breakdown of every Week 6 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Atlanta | Rank | @ | Carolina | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -6 | Spread | 6 | ||
| 26.75 | Implied Total | 20.75 | ||
| 22.2 | 17 | Points/Gm | 16.6 | 29 |
| 23 | 20 | Points All./Gm | 33 | 32 |
| 59.2 | 21 | Plays/Gm | 59.8 | 19 |
| 65.4 | 27 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 63.4 | 22 |
| 6 | 8 | Off. Yards/Play | 4.9 | 24 |
| 5.1 | 9 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.9 | 28 |
| 36.49% | 28 | Rush% | 39.13% | 22 |
| 63.51% | 5 | Pass% | 60.87% | 11 |
| 51.99% | 30 | Opp. Rush % | 52.68% | 31 |
| 48.01% | 3 | Opp. Pass % | 47.32% | 2 |
- The Panthers have been outscored by 60 points (45-105) in the first half this season, the worst margin in the NFL.
- The Falcons have gained 10 or more yards on 24.7% of their offensive plays, the highest rate in the league.
- Atlanta has converted 42.9% (6-of-14) of red zone possessions for touchdowns, 29th in the league.
- Opponents have scored a touchdown on 87.5% (14-of-16) of their red zone possessions against the Panthers, the highest rate in the league.
- Opponents have scored 52.1% of the possession against Atlanta, the highest rate in the league.
- Opponents have scored on 50.9% of their drives against Carolina, 31st in the league.
- The Falcons have a 3.3% sack rate on opponent dropbacks, the lowest rate in the league.
- The Panthers have a 4.2% sack rate, 30th in the league.
- The Falcons have allowed a league-high 48.5% conversion rate on third downs.
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: Cousins went bonkers on Thursday Night, setting career-highs in completions (42), pass attempts (58), and passing yards (509) to go along with 4 touchdowns through the air.
Atlanta ran a season-high 81 plays against the Bucs.
Their previous high had been 58 plays.
They had a season-high dropback rate of 75.3%, which went along with the play volume.
I do not expect that passing volume here since Carolina only faces 28.8 passes per game (8th), but this matchup is good enough to chase Cousins as a streaming option in 1QB formats.
The Panthers are 31st in the league in passing points allowed per attempt (0.601) and are 29th in passing points allowed per game (17.3).
Carolina has allowed multiple touchdown passes in every game this season.
And Carolina keeps losing defensive starters.
Jadaveon Clowney was forced from the game last week.
Carolina is dead last in pressure rate (23.6%).
When Cousins has not been pressured, he is 6th in the NFL with a 111.9 rating, completing 72.3% of his passes for 7.9 Y/A with 6 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
When pressured, he is 22nd in rating (56.4), completing 56.9% of his passes for 7.5 Y/A with 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
Andy Dalton: Dalton has headed in the wrong direction since his first start.
After throwing 8.6 Y/A in Week 3, he has thrown for 5.5 Y/A and 4.9 Y/A in the past two weeks.
After being pressured on 17.9% and 14.3% of his dropbacks in his first two starts, Dalton was pressured on 46.9% this past Sunday.
To compound matters up front, Austin Corbett was lost for the season.
Taylor Moton left the game with a triceps injury in the second half and is questionable for this week.
Dalton has only been pressured on 28 dropbacks over his three starts, but he is 10-of-21 (47.6%) for 77 yards (3.7 Y/A) with 2 interceptions on those plays.
The state of the offensive line means we may not see Byrce Young back in the saddle right away, but he did enter the game in garbage time last week.
I would wager that we see him again this season as the starter at some point.
The offensive line is a question mark, but the pressure may not be a huge issue here since Atlanta is 26th in pressure rate (28.2%) and has the lowest sack rate in the league.
When the Falcons have not pressured quarterbacks, they have allowed an 80.9% completion rate (31st).
Dalton has some push and pull here, which leaves him as a QB2.
Running Back
To continue reading this article
and gain access to The Worksheet and all of Rich's regular content, including positional rankings, DFS picks, and chats, click below to learn more about our fantasy package
Learn More
More Week 6 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| 49ers @ Seahawks -- FREE | Thursday Night Football |
| Jaguars @ Bears | Sunday -- 9:30 a.m. ET (London) |
| Cardinals @ Packers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Texans @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bucs @ Saints | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Eagles | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Commanders @ Ravens | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Chargers @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Steelers @ Raiders | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Lions @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Panthers | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Giants | Sunday Night Football |
| Bills @ Jets -- FREE | Monday Night Football |
