The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 2 matchup between the Cardinals and Panthers.
Find a breakdown of every Week 2 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Carolina | Rank | @ | Arizona | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | Spread | -6.5 | ||
| 19.0 | Implied Total | 25.5 | ||
| 10.0 | 29 | Points/Gm | 20.0 | 15 |
| 26.0 | 24 | Points All./Gm | 13.0 | 6 |
| 61.0 | 18 | Plays/Gm | 61.0 | 18 |
| 63.0 | 21 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 69.0 | 26 |
| 4.2 | 28 | Off. Yards/Play | 4.5 | 26 |
| 6 | 26 | Def. Yards/Play | 4.6 | 8 |
| 40.98% | 18 | Rush% | 44.26% | 13 |
| 59.02% | 15 | Pass% | 55.74% | 20 |
| 50.79% | 25 | Opp. Rush % | 31.88% | 4 |
| 49.21% | 8 | Opp. Pass % | 68.12% | 29 |
- After ranking dead last in the NFL in pressure rate in 2024 (25.1%), the Panthers had the lowest pressure rate of any defense in Week 1 (12.1%).
- Arizona was fourth in the league in clean pocket percentage in Week 1 (65.8%).
- Arizona faced third and long (requiring 7 or more yards) on 32% of their sets of downs, ranking 30th in the league in Week 1.
- The Cardinals threw the ball at or behind the line of scrimmage on 31% of their passes, fourth in the league in Week 1, up from a 23.8% rate in 2024 (13th).
- Arizona averaged a league low 1.8 yards on first downs in Week 1.
- Carolina turned the ball over on 30% of their possessions in Week 1, 31st in the league.
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Kyler Murray: Murray came out of Week 1 with a usable fantasy line, finishing as the QB14 (18.3 points).
The Cardinals did not have to do a lot on offense, and that was reflected in Murray’s 163 passing yards.
He threw a pair of touchdowns while adding 38 rushing yards.
If anything was noteworthy in the season opener, it was that Arizona appeared to have more emphasis on a shorter passing game.
He averaged 5.7 air yards per attempt in Week 1, 28th in the league.
That was a full yard lower than his 2024 rate (6.8 air yards).
Murray threw 31% of his passes at or behind the line of scrimmage (they even threw a screen to Marvin Harrison!).
His rates over the first two years in this offense were 23.7% in 2024 and 22.0% in 2022.
Only 24.1% of Murray’s were 10 or more yards downfield in Week 1, 27th in the league.
It was just a one-game sample where Arizona was hardly pressed to play aggressively, so we will see what sticks.
Arizona was almost too lackadaisical, as the Saints had a genuine chance to send the game to overtime.
This weekend may provide similar game conditions if Carolina plays as poorly as they did in Week 1.
These teams played a fun game in Week 16 a year ago.
Carolina won that game 36-30 in overtime.
Murray operated a fringe QB1 in that game, scoring 20.4 fantasy points.
That floor-based QB1/QB2 line is where expectations are here.
He only threw for 202 yards (6.3 Y/A) in that game but added 63 rushing yards and a touchdown.
We did see Murray run a little bit more in Week 1, something he said he was looking to do this year.
Murray scrambled on 10.5% of his dropbacks in the opener.
That would be the highest rate of his career if it remained consistent.
Bryce Young: Young got off to a rocky start in Week 1.
He connected on only 51.4% of his passes (18 of 35), ahead of only Russell Wilson and Cam Ward.
Young’s completion rate was 13.2% below expectation in Week 1, second to last in the league and ahead of only Caleb Williams.
He averaged only 4.4 yards per pass attempt, ahead of only Bo Nix and Ward.
Early downs were the undoing of this passing game in Week 1.
Young had the lowest rating in the league (41.0) on first and second down, completing 12 of 24 passes for 4.3 yards per attempt.
Even when Young provided some spark down the stretch a year ago, his passing production was still at or below league rates.
He needs to be better for this offense to be consistent in fantasy, something that is hard to bet on.
If you are looking for a sliver of positivity, Young did rush for 40 yards, staying consistent with rushing output to close last season.
He scrambled on 10% of his dropbacks (9th in Week 1) after posting an 8.8% scramble rate when he took back over last season (4th).
If you are looking for a secondary reason to consider Young as a matchup-based streamer and boom-or-bust QB2, he was effective in this matchup a year ago.
Young was the QB2 in overall scoring (27.1 points) when these teams hooked up in Week 16.
In that game, Young only threw for 158 yards, but he threw a pair of touchdowns, adding 36 yards and a rushing score.
Running Back
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Learn MoreMore Week 2 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Commanders @ Packers | Thursday Night Football |
| Jaguars @ Bengals | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Giants @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bears @ Lions | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Rams @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| 49ers @ Saints | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bills @ Jets | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Seahawks @ Steelers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Ravens | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Broncos @ Colts | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Panthers @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Eagles @ Chiefs | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Vikings | Sunday Night Football |
| Bucs @ Texans | Monday Night Football |
| Chargers @ Raiders | Monday Night Football |