Jonathan Stewart Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Neither player was really ever in doubt to miss this week, and both players should be ready to go vs the Saints. Funchess has struggled some in the last few weeks and will face a very good Saints secondary on Sunday afternoon. At this point, it's probably best to use Funchess as a GPP only type of play. Stewart could potentially serve his normal role as a touchdown troll, but should not be counted on as a reliable DFS option.

When asked about the status of running back Jonathan Stewart, Coach Ron Rivera expressed no concern and expects him to be fine heading into wild-card weekend. If healthy Stewart could see action in both short yardage situations as well as goal-line work but does not have a ton of value moving forward.

The running back missed practice Monday but was a full participant Wednesday and is all set for their Thursday night showdown with the Eagles. He's eighth in the league with four carries inside the five-yard line and 11th with 11 attempts in the red zone. Considering Christian McCaffrey has only attempted three carries inside the 20 and hasn't run the ball once inside the five, it's clear who Carolina prefers in running situations when in scoring position. McCaffrey is the passing-down guy though; he's received five RZ targets and scored his first touchdown last week against the Lions. He's also out-snapping Stewart by a wide margin each game and leads the team with 36 total targets. He'll have a favorable matchup with an Eagles defense that ranks 19th in receiving RB DVOA. Kalil will be sidelined for his fifth-straight game. His backup Tyler Larsen has been excellent though, currently ranking ninth among centers by PFF grading.

It's the second day in a row Funchess as missed, which is worrisome heading into a Thursday night game. He's been targeted at least eight times for three straight weeks and he's scored three times over the past two as quarterback Cam Newton came back to life. If he suits up, he'll have a very nice matchup with Eagles CB Jalen Mills this week. Mills has been targeted more than any corner this year (54) and he's rewarded quarterbacks with 354 yards (second-most), three touchdowns (fifth-most), and a 94.2 rating. If he can't go, it should provide Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Ed Dickson with more looks. Stewart returned to practice after collecting a DNP yesterday. He leads the Carolina backfield with 77 carries but he's struggled to 3.3 ypc and he's been out-snapped by Christian McCaffrey each game. McCaffrey leads the team in targets (36), receptions (27), and he's tied with Funchess for a team-high five red zone looks. He'll have a favorable matchup with an Eagles defense that ranked 21st in receiving RB DVOA heading into Week 5 (per FO), before letting Andre Ellington rack up nine receptions for 65 yards this past Sunday. Whether Stewart plays or not, McCaffrey should be heavily involved Thursday night. Center Kalil hasn't played for four weeks and his backup Tyler Larsen has filled in admirably, earning PFF's ninth-best center grade.

Carolina didn't practice actually practice Monday but they would've held Stewart and Funchess out if they had. Neither player appeared to be injured Sunday, so they should be ready for their Thursday night matchup with the Eagles. Funchess has been targeted at least eight times for three straight weeks and he's scored three times over the past two as quarterback Cam Newton came back to life. He'll have a very nice matchup with Eagles CB Jalen Mills this week. Mills has been targeted more than any corner this year (54) and he's rewarded quarterbacks with 354 yards (second-most), three touchdowns (fifth-most), and a 94.2 rating. Stewart leads the Carolina backfield with 77 carries but he's struggled to 3.3 ypc and he's been out-snapped by Christian McCaffrey each game. McCaffrey leads the team in targets (36), receptions (27), and he's tied with Funchess for a team-high five red zone looks. He'll have a favorable matchup with an Eagles defense that ranked 21st in receiving RB DVOA heading into Week 5 (per FO), before letting Andre Ellington rack up nine receptions for 65 yards this past Sunday. Whether Stewart plays or not, McCaffrey should be heavily involved Thursday night.

With little to play for this week it would not be a surprise to see the Panthers to sit three of their key offensive weapons as they're all dealing with injuries. Newton was able to put in a limited practice today but it's hard to imagine the Panthers risking further harm to his shoulder making Derek Anderson the likely starter. While one of many value options at QB this week, Anderson will face a much improved Tampa pass defense that is 6th in DVOA. Cameron Artis-Payne, however, is intriguing if Stewart doesn't play as the Bucs have been vulnerable to the run (24th in DVOA). Tomorrow's practice should tell us more about the status of these three - we'll update you then.

It'll be hard to trust any of these guys in fantasy this weekend. They aren't playing for anything and Olsen (elbow) and Stewart (foot) were already limited last week, they each played 58% of Carolina's offensive snaps. Newton played the full game. He's dealing with a shoulder injury though and it's unclear if he'll do so again for their Week 17 matchup with Tampa Bay.

Stewart's absence was just a rest day and Ron Rivera has reiterated that Olsen's status isn't in jeopardy for Saturday, so we don't have much to worry about here. Cam Newton was limited on Wednesday, but he'll be out there in Week 16 in one of the best potential draws on the board. Atlanta has been a sieve to opposing passing games, so the formerly popular Newton-Olsen stacks could be viable yet again here. With both of their prices falling drastically since the start of the season, now could be a good time to hop on board.