The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a loss to the Buffalo Bills last weekend after being previously undefeated in their first nine games. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers have won their last two games before their bye week last week. Byrce Young has had a resurgence since coming in the Saints game. This should be a get-right spot for the Chiefs but it will be interesting who will make the money for DFS. Here are my picks for this game.
Panthers vs. Chiefs DFS Start ‘Ems
Here are a few of the players that we are leaning on heavily in this game. These players are in a good spot to put together a solid performance and have a favorable matchup.
DeAndre Hopkins ($5.4K Draft Kings, $6.5K FanDuel)
Hopkins has been on the downward end of production since his debut against Tampa Bay, but that’s because of the secondary he faced in Denver and Buffalo. This week, he’s facing a Panthers defense that is middle of the pack. This is a tough call between starting Hopkins or Worthy, but I believe Hopkins will have the slight edge on production this weekend.
Patrick Mahomes ($6.8K Draft Kings, $8.4K Draft Kings)
Mahomes is facing the 26th-ranked defense against QBs in fantasy this season and did have 3 touchdowns last week. However, he did throw 2 horrible interceptions. Mahomes is having a pedestrian season to his standards but this game against Carolina WILL be his best game of the season fantasy-wise.
Panthers vs. Chiefs DFS Sit ‘Ems
On the flip side, here are a few of the players we are sitting in this one.
Bryce Young ($4.6K Draft Kings, $6.6K FanDuel)
Bryce Young has been efficient in the two starts since returning to the lineup against the Saints but this will be his TOUGHEST test yet. He faces a Steve Spagnuolo defense for the first time in his career and Spags has made it difficult for young quarterbacks in his career. Other than Jalen Hurts’s performance in Super Bowl 57, quarterbacks have a difficult time facing Spag’s defense for the first time. Bryce Young doesn’t have the Eagles weapon nor the talent of Hurts. So sit him this weekend.
Chuba Hubbard ($6.6K Draft Kings, $7.1K FanDuel)
According to Draft Kings, the Chiefs are the best fantasy defense against the running back position, and Carolina might get Jonathan Brooks back for this game. With those two factors to consider, it will be a horrible play to play Hubbard in DFS this weekend, especially with the Chiefs being motivated after the loss.
Total Apex Lock of the Game
Kareem Hunt ($5.7K Draft Kings, $7.5K FanDuel)
While the Chiefs have the best defense against running backs, the Panthers have the WORST DEFENSE against RBs. This means that Kareem Hunt will be useful and efficient, especially with his budgets on both platforms. If you are looking for the perfect budget back for DFS this week, HUNT is the guy for that role.
Total Apex Fade of the Game
Panthers Defense ($2.2K Draft Kings, $3K FanDuel)
Kansas City is hungry and motivated after suffering their first loss and this is a BAD spot for this Panthers defense to go against this Chiefs offense. I love Kansas City to handle the Panthers by 10 plus points this weekend and that’s because of the run game, with Mahomes hitting a few key passes against this young secondary for Carolina.
Conclusion
This will be one of the blowouts of the weekend on the NFL slate and this game will be all Chiefs in real football, along with DFS plays as well. This game is going to be a reality check for the Panthers after a small win streak against two of the worst teams in the league. Dave Canales has been a good coach at times but this is the Chiefs we’re talking about here. For more DFS slate predictions follow Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
