Getty Carolina Panthers WR Devin Funchess
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Devin Funchess is coming off back-to-back weeks with mediocre stat lines. After scoring a touchdown in three of four games prior, he’s caught just seven passes for 71 yards combined in the team’s two latest victories. Now, Funchess and the Panthers draw an appealing Week 10 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football.
While Funchess’ numbers haven’t been overly appealing from a fantasy football perspective, he’s provided a fairly solid floor up until this point. Over eight games, the 24-year-old pass-catcher has seen at least five targets in all games but one, while being targeted seven or more times in five of those games.
The question becomes, should fantasy players go back to Funchess after his mediocre showings in recent weeks? Let’s break down the start-sit debate over the Panthers wideout against the Steelers.
Should You Start or Sit Devin Funchess?
If you were using Funchess as either a WR3 or flex play in your league, there’s a chance the teams on bye this week could push you to use him on Thursday. Names like Adam Thielen, DeAndre Hopkins, Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, Courtland Sutton, and Demaryius Thomas are all on bye, leaving many fantasy owners with holes in lineups.
As far as Funchess’ fantasy outlook goes, it’s apparent we likely won’t see 100-yard games with multiple touchdowns any time soon. The Panthers have too many weapons and players who receive touches. But his workload and snaps are there, and in Week 10 he has a matchup worth exploiting as well.
On the season, the Steelers have been pretty bad against wide receivers, allowing 113 receptions for 1,467 yards and 11 touchdowns to the position. In a game projected to be high scoring between two defenses who boast strong run defenses, the wideouts on both sides are in play. I’m fine with Funchess this week in most leagues, and consider him as a flex option in 12-team leagues and WR3 or flex in any larger league.
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