The Washington Football Team can take a big step toward locking up an NFC East Division Championship by winning Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, who have lost eight of nine.
Washington (6-8) lost to the Seahawks with quarterback Dwayne Haskins at the controls in Week 15. The 2019 first-round pick threw 55 times but averaged a meager 5.4 yards per pass. He completed 38 of them, ending with 295 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. That touchdown went to running back J.D. McKissic, who was targeted by Haskins often, somewhat surprisingly. McKissic caught nine of 10 looks for 56 yards and a touchdown. He also ran 13 times for 51 yards. Peyton Barber handled four carries, turning one of them at the goal line into a score. Haskins also repeatedly took aim at Washington’s two best receivers — Terry McLaurin and tight end Logan Thomas. McLaurin put up a useful 7-77-0 line on 12 targets, but Thomas had a career-best performance: 13 receptions for 101 yards on 15 targets.
The Panthers (4-10) fell behind the Packers quickly last Saturday night, 21-3. Their defense stymied Green Bay from there, but it wasn’t quite enough in the 24-16 defeat. Teddy Bridgewater completed 21 of 35 passes for 258 scoreless yards, but he did run for a touchdown. He also lost a fumble. Wide receiver D.J. Moore returned after missing two games and accounted for more than half of the team’s aerial yardage, gaining 131 yards on six grabs. But fellow wideouts Robby Anderson (two catches, 21 yards) and Curtis Samuel (six touches, 48 yards) turned in disappointing results. Running back Mike Davis, getting his fifth consecutive start in place of Christian McCaffrey, continued to rack up mediocre yardage totals. He accumulated 61 yards on 16 touches and, unlike his two-TD outing the week prior, couldn’t save his fantasy day with an end zone visit.
TV Info
Date: Sunday, Dec. 27
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Broadcast map
Notable Statistical rankings (Football Outsiders)
Panthers: #17 Overall — #10 offense, #27 defense, #16 special teams
Washington: #16 Overall — #30 offense, #3 defense, #14 special teams
DraftKings Sportsbook odds
Panthers: +1, +102
Washington: -1, -115
Total: 42.5
Fantasy football start/sit advice
Panthers
D.J. Moore, WR, $5,800
Moore looked totally healthy after dealing with an ankle injury in Week 13 and then spending some time on the COVID/reserve list after that. He played 81 percent of the snaps in Green Bay. WFT has given up the fourth-fewest DraftKings points to wide receivers, but this is not a stay-away matchup for Carolina’s receivers as long as Bridgewater isn’t harassed all day by Washington’s fantastic front. Moore has tallied at least 19 DraftKings points in three of his last four games, averaging 19.2 DK points during that span.
Mike Davis, RB, $6,500
Even with McCaffrey missing another week, Davis is a fade option on DraftKings, especially as the 10th-highest-priced RB on Sunday’s main slate. He has settled into being a touchdown-dependent RB2. He hasn’t run for more than 66 yards in any of his last eight starts, and Washington hasn’t allowed more than 65 rushing yards to any back since Week 10.
Team
JD McKissic, RB, $6,400
McKissic looked like a sketchy start entering Week 15 because Haskins, unlike Alex Smith, had not shown a proclivity to funnel targets McKissic’s way. Then, suddenly, the pass-catching specialist saw 10 looks from Haskins against Seattle. McKissic ended the game with 22 touches and out-carried Barber, 13-4. His $700 price hike makes him less of an automatic start in contests, but if Haskins gets another start and keeps on looking for his safety valve of the backfield, McKissic should succeed against a Panthers defense that has allowed the fifth-most receptions and the sixth-most DraftKings points to RBs.
Logan Thomas, TE, $4,900
Thomas has seen his price increase $1,600 in just two weeks, making him the third-most-expensive tight end on the main slate. But that’s what happens when you receive 31 targets in three weeks and put up two 20-point box scores during that time. The barrage shouldn’t end this week since Washington’s No. 1 wideout, Terry McLaurin, is not expected to play. Thomas is a stellar start against the Panthers, who have permitted TE touchdowns in back-to-back weeks.