Evan Silva’s Matchups: Panthers at Falcons

Carolina @ Atlanta

Team Totals: Falcons 21.5, Panthers 18

The sub-40-point total on Panthers-Falcons is Week 1’s second lowest, rendering this a game to avoid in fantasy-lineup decisions. … No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young’s weapons cast is composed of raw rookie Jonathan Mingo, fading 33-year-old Adam Thielen — who averaged an anemic 1.15 yards per route run in Minnesota last season — and D.J. Chark, who pulled his hamstring late in camp. Hayden Hurst has operated as Carolina’s unchallenged first-team tight end but drew just one target from Young on 26 preseason routes run. Moved into the slot, Thielen was Young’s go-to guy in exhibition games. … Trusted by HC Frank Reich stemming from their time together in Philadelphia, Miles Sanders figures to open the season as Carolina’s offensive focal point after the Panthers made him the NFL’s 10th-highest-paid running back in free agency. Sanders faces some risk of losing occasional passing-down work to Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear, although both backups are replacement-level talents. As game script in this one projects as fairly neutral, I like Sanders’ chances of flirting with 15 carries as a low-end RB2.

As a 2022 rookie, Desmond Ridder finished below 225 passing yards in all four of his starts, combined for only two touchdowns, and averaged 16 rushing yards per game. Significant expansion of Atlanta’s passing “attack” seems unlikely with HC Arthur Smith building an offense designed to hide its quarterback. This year’s Falcons used the No. 8 overall pick on RB Bijan Robinson, then took mauler LG Matthew Bergeron near the top of the second round.