The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 17 matchup between the Bucs and Panthers.
Find a breakdown of every Week 17 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
Carolina | Rank | @ | Tampa Bay | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
8.0 | Spread | -8.0 | ||
20.75 | Implied Total | 28.75 | ||
18.9 | 26 | Points/Gm | 28.5 | 5 |
29.9 | 32 | Points All./Gm | 23.5 | 22 |
58.8 | 30 | Plays/Gm | 63.7 | 8 |
66.9 | 32 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 63.7 | 26 |
5 | 26 | Off. Yards/Play | 6.1 | 6 |
5.8 | 28 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.6 | 20 |
41.61% | 21 | Rush% | 43.10% | 17 |
58.39% | 12 | Pass% | 56.90% | 16 |
51.25% | 32 | Opp. Rush % | 37.34% | 4 |
48.75% | 1 | Opp. Pass % | 62.66% | 29 |
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield: Mayfield has put together four top-10 scoring weeks over his five games since the bye.
Getting Mike Evans back, he leads the NFL with 8.7 yards per pass attempt over that span.
He did not play well when these teams met in Week 13.
In that game, Mayfield was 21-of-33 for 235 yards with a touchdown and 2 interceptions.
Even though he struggled in that game, this is another objectively strong spot for him to make good on the matchup.
The Bucs are a high-total, home favorite.
I would go back to Mayfield as a QB1, but the Bucs should have a balanced approach here since the Panthers are so awful defending the run compared to the pass.
Carolina has allowed 235 passing yards or fewer in four straight games.
They are allowing 6.8 Y/A since their Week 11 bye, 12th in the league.
But they have allowed a 6.5% touchdown rate over that span, which is 31st in the league.
Mayfield may not stack high yardage counts here, but he can get there via touchdown production.
Bryce Young: Young is coming off the best fantasy game of his career, posting a career-high 27.1 standard points.
This was Young’s third QB1 scoring week over his past five games.
He only threw for 158 yards and 6.1 yards per pass attempt, but he threw 2 touchdowns (his second game this season with multiple passing scores) and did damage with his legs.
Young rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown.
He has added a rushing component to his game, boosting his fantasy stock from back-end QB2 to floor-based QB2.
Young has rushed for 29.3 yards per game over his past six starts, averaging 5.9 fantasy points per game via rushing over that span.
Over that period, only Jalen Hurts (9.9%) and Jayden Daniels (9.7%) have a higher scramble rate than Young (9.2%).
That is relevant because the Buccaneers are 23rd in scramble yards allowed to quarterbacks.
To keep us honest, the Panthers are huge road underdogs with a low team total, but Young is a viable option in 2QB formats.
When these teams met in Week 13, Young was QB8 (23.6 points).
He only completed 56.5% of his passes for 6.5 Y/A, but overtime propelled him to a season-high 46 pass attempts and 298 passing yards.
He added 17 yards and a touchdown rushing.
Running Back
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More Week 17 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
Matchup | Time |
---|---|
Chiefs @ Steelers -- FREE | Christmas Day |
Ravens @ Texans -- FREE | Christmas Day |
Seahawks @ Bears -- FREE | Thursday Night Football |
Chargers @ Patriots | Saturday -- 1 p.m. ET |
Broncos @ Bengals | Saturday -- 4:30 p.m. ET |
Cardinals @ Rams | Saturday -- 8 p.m. ET |
Jets @ Bills | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
Raiders @ Saints | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
Colts @ Giants | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
Panthers @ Bucs | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
Titans @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
Cowboys @ Eagles | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
Dolphins @ Browns | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
Packers @ Vikings | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
Falcons @ Commanders | Sunday Night Football |
Lions @ 49ers -- FREE | Monday Night Football |