Falcons-Panthers fantasy points projections to help you set your lineup

The Carolina Panthers will host the Atlanta Falcons in a Thursday Night Football matchup to kick off Week 8. Both teams are looking to rebounding from losses but Carolina got the best of Atlanta in Week 5 and is expected to complete a regular season sweep.

There was optimism surrounding a potential Christian McCaffrey return on Thursday, but the star running back has been limited and practice and appears to not be on track to play. Luckily for the Panthers, they have plenty of other options. Teddy Bridgewater is among the league leaders in passing yards and is second to only Drew Brees in completion percentage. D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson have been two of the most productive wideouts in the NFL and Mike Davis is arguably the best waiver waiver wire pickup of the year. Panthers skill players have a great fantasy outlook against the Atlanta’s porous defense.

The Falcons’ passing attack has found life after going cold. Matt Ryan will have Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Russell Gage at his disposal against Carolina this time around. While the Panthers have been solid against the pass, Todd Gurley was able to gash their below average run defense. The Panthers have given up 10 rushing scores and forked up more than 100 rushing yards to Gurley in Week 5.

Both teams have a plethora of playmakers on offense so there’s tons of fantasy football potential. Here are some ESPN PPR points projections to give you an idea of what you can expect from key players on each side.

Atlanta Falcons

QB Matt Ryan: 17.85
RB Todd Gurley: 16.12
WR Julio Jones: 16.47
WR Calvin Ridley : 15.68
WR Russell Gage: 9.23
TE Hayden Hurst: 9.6
K Younghoe Koo: 8.44
D/ST: 5.04

Carolina Panthers

QB Teddy Bridgewater: 17.37
RB Mike Davis: 18.97
WR Robby Anderson: 16.29
WR D.J. Moore: 14.31
WR Curtis Samuel: 10.94
K Joey Slye: 9.53
D/ST: 4.15