3 FanDuel Defenses to Target in Week 9

Carolina Panthers

FanDuel Price: $4,300
numberFire Projection: 7.7 FanDuel points

The Carolina Panthers' defense has not been a dominant one like in past seasons, but they been relatively steady for fantasy purposes in 2018. The Panthers have kept opponents to 23 or fewer points five times as they rank 11th in the league, allowing just 21.7 points per game. That solid floor has helped the unit to score at least 7.0 FanDuel points in five of seven games.

As reliable as they have been this season, the Panthers' big draw in Week 9 is their opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs lead the NFL in turnovers as they have been picked off 15 times, an average of more than 2.0 per game. For all of the buzz and Fitzmagic quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick started the year with, the veteran has still been loose with the football, tossing 5 interceptions and posting a 3.5% interception rate in 144 pass attempts. That ranks 28th out of the 34 quarterbacks who have attempted at least 100 passes this season. For his career, Fitzpatrick owns a 3.4% rate, so this is not abnormal for him, and the Panthers rank 8th in the NFL with 9 interceptions this season.

The offensive line has not been doing the Bucs any favors, either, as they have given up 3.0 sacks per game, with the run game ranking in the bottom-five with 91.3 rushing yards per game. Add it all up, and if you are in need of a D/ST with a high-floor in Week 9, look no further than the Panthers.