The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 5 matchup between the Bears and Panthers.
Find a breakdown of every Week 5 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Carolina | Rank | @ | Chicago | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Spread | -4 | ||
| 19.25 | Implied Total | 23.25 | ||
| 18.3 | 25 | Points/Gm | 19.3 | 20 |
| 32.3 | 32 | Points All./Gm | 18.8 | 8 |
| 60.3 | 18 | Plays/Gm | 64.3 | 7 |
| 62 | 23 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 58.5 | 8 |
| 4.8 | 24 | Off. Yards/Play | 3.9 | 31 |
| 5.8 | 26 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.1 | 11 |
| 40.66% | 20 | Rush% | 38.91% | 25 |
| 59.34% | 13 | Pass% | 61.09% | 8 |
| 51.61% | 27 | Opp. Rush % | 45.73% | 22 |
| 48.39% | 6 | Opp. Pass % | 54.27% | 11 |
- The Panthers allow a league-high 7.9 yards per play on third downs.
- Carolina is allowing 2.87 points per drive, 30th.
- Carolina is allowing a league-high 5.8 scoring plays per game.
- Opponents have converted a league-high 91.7% (11-of-12) of their red zone possessions for touchdowns against Carolina.
- The Bears have 15 plays that have gained 15 or more yards, ahead of only the Browns (14).
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Andy Dalton: Dalton did not spike as he did in Week 3, but he still delivered a solid outing for 2QB gamers on Sunday against the Bengals, finishing the week as QB13 (15.7 points).
Dalton only threw for 5.5 yards per pass attempt after 8.6 Y/A in Week 3, but he threw another 40 passes and tossed multiple scores to boost his line.
He got rid of the football quickly again, getting the ball out at an average of 2.36 seconds, 6th in the league this past week.
Because he has been getting the ball out so fast the past two weeks, Dalton has been pressured on a league-low 16.0% of his dropbacks.
It has also helped that Carolina has locked up with the Raiders and Bengals, two of the bottom-5 teams in pressure rate this season.
The Bears have also struggled, ranking 22nd in pressure rate (31.1%).
However, their pass defense is much stronger than Dalton’s first two opponents.
Chicago is 6th in completion rate allowed (61.5%), 11th in yards allowed per pass attempt (6.6 Y/A), and 3rd in touchdown rate (1.7%) surrendered to passers.
Adding that up, they are 3rd in passing points allowed per attempt (0.249) and allow the fewest passing points per game (7.3).
With a team total below 20 points and a tougher matchup, Dalton is a floor-based QB2.
Caleb Williams: Williams operated as a facilitator on Sunday.
Williams was not asked to do much lifting as Chicago played complementary football on offense for the first time this season.
The Bears finally succeeded on the ground and were not pressed on the scoreboard.
Williams completed a season-high 73.9% of his passes but for only 157 yards and a touchdown.
His 6.3 air yards per attempt were a season low, and he threw a season-high 30.4% of his passes at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Williams has finished higher than QB22 once through four weeks, still searching for his first QB1 scoring week.
He has another good matchup for gamers who use him in 2QB formats, but if the Bears are not pushed again here, we could be in a similar spot where Chicago is asking him to simply manage the game.
He is more challenging to stream outright in 1QB leagues because this Chicago passing game has not taken advantage of two soft matchups over the past two games because it has limited easy buttons.
Williams is 30th in dropbacks with motion (28.8%) and 23rd in rate of play action (21.3%).
That said, the opponent is nothing to hide from.
Carolina is 30th in passing points allowed per attempt (0.577).
They are allowing a 71.3% completion rate (26th), 7.5 yards per pass attempt (22nd), and a 7.8% touchdown rate (30th) to opposing passers.
Running Back
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More Week 5 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Bucs @ Falcons -- FREE | Thursday Night Football |
| Jets @ Vikings | Sunday -- 9:30 a.m. ET (London) |
| Panthers @ Bears | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Ravens @ Bengals | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Dolphins @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Commanders | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bills @ Texans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Cardinals @ 49ers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Packers @ Rams | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Giants @ Seahawks | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Cowboys @ Steelers | Sunday Night Football |
| Saints @ Chiefs -- FREE | Monday Night Football |
