The Carolina Panthers had Jonathan Stewart start for Cam Newton on Sunday and in Week 5 he is the best fantasy football option at RB for the team. The Panthers are 4-0 and players like Ted Ginn and Greg Olsen have stepped up for Carolina and they will be heading into a bye this week and will be back for Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Panthers won in Week 4 over the Buccaneers and they are currently in first place in the NFC South with the Falcons, who are also 4-0. Stewart was dealing with injuries heading into this week and he was able to play without any issues on Sunday. According to ESPN.com, head coach Ron Rivera said that the bye week should give Stewart time to get to 100 percent and that the team expects him to start again for the next game.
Stewart had 50 yards on 10 carries this week and he has 220 yards on the season in four games, but he has yet to find the endzone. Stewart is a solid RB2 or RB3 option moving forward, as the Panthers have been trying to get the run game going and he is a big part of that. Stewart has always been productive when healthy and over the past three seasons he has missed time with injuries. Last year Stewart played in 13 games, his highest total since 2011 and he had 809 yards while averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Ted Ginn has been stepping up for the Panthers and while he doesn't have crazy stats, the wide receiver has been key for Cam Newton over the four game start to the season. Ginn has three touchdowns this season and he scored twice against the Buccaneers on Sunday. With Devin Funchess dealing with injuries and Kelvin Benjamin out for the season, Ginn is a solid pickup for deep leagues and could be a pick and play WR3 or WR4 option. Olsen comes in with 17 catches and two TDs this season and he is one of the best TE options in the league for fantasy owners.
The Panthers have been playing without Luke Kuechly and that has been a big hit for the defense, but it has not stopped the team from winning. According to NFL.com, Kuechly was out last week and he was not able to practice leading up to the game against the Buccaneers. The Panthers have a bye week and that could give the linebacker time to recover from his concussion. According to the Charlotte Observer, Kuechly will meet with an independent neurologist this week and will be evaluated to see if he will remain in the concussion protocol.
