It is a joy to watch this team work as a true unit, a complete team. Despite a lackluster offense, with Cam Newton not having anything to boast about, the Panthers have held their own with a rock-solid defense that is second to none. They are aggressive, make plays, they do just about everything well. It is an incredible thing to witness. The undefeated Carolina Panthers will be looking to extend their current 10-game regular season winning streak, while the Indianapolis Colts will be looking to regain their form from 2014. They might be desperate, but the amount of distractions is probably going to be in our favor. The Colts’ quarterback is struggling, with nine interceptions and a quarterback rating (76.3) and completion percentage (56.2 percent) down among the worst of National Football League starting quarterbacks.
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Next up is a Monday night trip to Carolina (6-0), followed by a short week to prepare for Peyton Manning and the unbeaten Broncos (6-0). Baltimore is tougher against the run than they are against the pass, so there will plenty of opportunities for Rivers to air it out in this one. Indianapolis’ offense has been lackluster and will have another poor showing against the Panthers.
During their 4-0 start, the Panthers heard all sorts of criticism about who they beat. In the season opener at Buffalo, Luck was 26 of 49 with 243 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and one fumble lost.
Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Gore has outperformed his fantasy draft status for most of the year, but only paid off in PPR formats last week. “I also have a lot of respect for Coach Rivera, Coach McDermott, Coach Shula – bunch of good guys”. Safety Mike Adams (hamstring) sat out Wednesday’s workout. His absence in the defensive backfield has surely played a part in their poor showing. “I know we’ve not played great as a team, but when you look at the facts, we’re still on top of the division”. Over the course of Pagano’s tenure, that seems to have been a theme; get behind early and hope you can claw back. Hopefully that can keep up.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, $6,700 – There is no question that Brees doesn’t have the weapons that he once had in New Orleans, but a matchup against a awful New York Giants’ secondary is enough to make him a play for this weekend.
It will be very interesting to see how the Colts respond to the early hole that they have dug for themselves. Olsen is definitely Newton’s favorite target. “I needed to stay an extra year to get that done”.
GAME PLAN: Finding consistency on offense, which has eluded Indianapolis for most of the season, is crucial against a team like the Carolina Panthers.
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The dink-and-dunk style isn’t sexy for a strong-armed passer, but a patient approach yields big results when electric playmakers turn 5-yard passes into first downs on explosive catch-and-run plays. He finally eclipsed the century mark last week, piling up 125 yards on the ground. They haven’t been great against the run this year, allowing 123 YPG on average. Plus, San Diego has one of the worst run games in all of football, so there is little to no reason to believe that Rivers won’t have a huge game.
