DFS Season in Review: NFC South
Here is theScore's daily fantasy season in review for the NFC South:
Carolina Panthers
Record: 15-1 (1st in division, 1st in conference)
Points (Rank): 500 (1st)
Total Yards (Rank): 5,871 (11th)
QB Cam Newton finished the regular season with 3,837 passing yards, 636 rushing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, 10 rushing touchdowns and 10 interceptions while carrying his team to the top seed in the NFC. He lost No. 1 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin in the preseason, but he got by with TE Greg Olsen (7 TDs), WR Ted Ginn Jr. (10 TDs - seriously) and an island of misfit toys. ... The Panthers were an excellent team to target for GPPs as veteran WR Jerricho Cotchery finished with 485 yards and three touchdowns, Corey Brown had four touchdowns and rookie receiver Devin Funchess finished with 473 yards and five touchdowns though he didn't come close to filling Benjamin's shoes. ... At running back, Jonathan Stewart led the team with 989 yards, six rushing touchdowns and one receiving score, but he finished three games shy of his first 16-game season since 2011. The trio of Mike Tolbert, Fozzy Whittaker and rookie Cameron Artis-Payne each finished the season with one rushing touchdown though Tolbert contributed three more scores through the air. ... The Panthers defense - led by CB Josh Norman - stood out, finishing the season with a league-leading 39 takeaways.
DFS MVP: Cam Newton
DFS Dud: Devin Funchess
Atlanta Falcons
Record: 8-8 (2nd in division, 7th in conference)
Points (Rank): 339 (T21st)
Total Yards (Rank): 5,990 (7th)
WR Julio Jones finished the season with 136 receptions (the second-highest single-season total of all time), 1,871 yards (the second-highest single-season total of all time) and eight touchdowns on a whopping 204 targets, but he couldn't save the Falcons' season on his own. The team's No. 2 and 3 pass-catchers were TE Jacob Tamme and RB Devonta Freeman, finishing the season with 657 and 578 yards, respectively, while combining for just four scores. Veteran Roddy White had his worst season since his sophomore year, finishing with just 506 yards and one touchdown on 43 receptions. Free-agent Leonard Hankerson couldn't regain form under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and was released after just eight games. ... Freeman took over as the Falcons No. 1 running back after replacing an injured Tevin Coleman with a Week 3 start. Freeman finished second in the league with 1,639 yards from scrimmage, while sharing the league lead with 11 rushing touchdowns. The reluctance of most DFS sites to increase his bargain price made him a must-have in cash games for much of the season. Coleman finished with 392 rushing yards and a touchdown while averaging 4.5 yards per carry, but he fell out of favor with three fumbles lost. ... The biggest disappointment for Atlanta was the play of eighth-year quarterback Matt Ryan. He finished fifth in the league in passing yards, but he tied for the third-most interceptions (16) while throwing just 21 touchdowns - his fewest since his rookie season. He had just six multi-touchdown games.
DFS MVP: Devonta Freeman
DFS Dud: Matt Ryan
New Orleans Saints
Record: 7-9 (3rd in division, 11th in conference)
Points (Rank): 408 (8th)
Total Yards (Rank): 6,461 (2nd)
QB Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton each face uncertain futures following yet another disappointing season. Brees led the league in passing yards (4,870) despite only playing 15 games. He finished the season with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions at home and just nine touchdowns and six interceptions on the road. ... The Saints wide receiving corps was solid, but unspectacular and inconsistent. Sophomore Brandin Cooks led the way in yards (1,138) and touchdowns (nine), while rookie Willie Snead finished with 984 yards and three touchdowns. TE Benjamin Watson did an adequate job of replacing the departed Jimmy Graham, with career highs of 825 yards and six touchdowns. ... Running back Mark Ingram followed up his breakout 2014 season with 769 rushing yards, 405 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 216 touches. Free-agent signee C.J. Spiller was a major disappointment with just 351 total yards and two receiving touchdowns. ... The Saints defense was readily picked on by DFS owners. It allowed the second-most total yards (6,620), passing yards (4,544) and rushing yards (2,076), while no team surrendered more than the Saints' 29.8 points per game.
DFS MVP: Drew Brees (at home)
DFS Dud: Drew Brees (on the road)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record: 6-10 (4th in division, 12th in conference)
Points (Rank): 342 (20th)
Total Yards (Rank): 6,041 (5th)
QB Jameis Winston experienced plenty of ups and downs in his first NFL season. The No. 1 pick from the 2015 NFL Draft finished with 4,042 passing yards, 213 rushing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, six rushing touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Among quarterbacks, only Newton finished with more rushing touchdowns. Yet Winston wasn't a viable DFS option, as he had just six games with multiple passing touchdowns. ... It was a disappointing season for Buccaneers receivers, with sophomore Mike Evans leading the way with 1,206 yards but just three touchdowns. Veteran Vincent Jackson had a mere 543 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games played. TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins was limited to just seven games, but he shared the team lead in receiving touchdowns (four) with backup running back Charles Sims. ... Fourth-year back Doug Martin did his best to make the Buccaneers' brass forget his past two seasons, as he racked up 1,673 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns in his contract year. His 4.9 yards per carry was a career high mark.
DFS MVP: Doug Martin
DFS Dud: Mike Evans