Panthers rank: 17th (11th in NFC)
NFC South: Saints 2nd, Buccaneers 22nd, Falcons 25th
Beyond the numbers: Carolina rose three spots in this week's rankings, according to the ESPN staff. After dubbing wide receiver Curtis Samuel his surprise fantasy player in the preseason, ESPN's David Newton attributed Samuel's lack of production to a simplified game plan and running back Christian McCaffrey's increased workload.
Panthers rank: 15th (10th in NFC)
NFC South: Saints 2nd, Buccaneers 24th, Falcons 27th
Beyond the numbers: The Panthers were on the rise again this week according to NFL.com, up two spots from last week's ranking. Dan Hanzus said McCaffrey looks poised for a shot at taking home the league MVP award after playing "'Madden'-on-easy mode" Sunday against the Jaguars.
Panthers rank: 17th (11th in NFC)
NFC South: Saints 2nd, Buccaneers 22nd, Falcons 28th
Beyond the numbers: The Panthers bumped up two spots after the win over the Jaguars according to Bleacher Report's rankings this week. The B/R staff praised McCaffrey, but noted that there's more to the team than just the running back, shouting out the youthful weapons in the passing game, the pass rush and linebacker Luke Kuechly.
Panthers rank: 13th (9th in NFC)
NFC South: Saints 2nd, Buccaneers 23rd, Falcons 27th
Beyond the numbers: Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk bumped the Panthers up to 13th, and kept it plain and simple, saying, "With Christian McCaffrey, they could put Jake Delhomme at quarterback and still win games."
Panthers rank: 12th (8th in NFC)
NFC South: Saints 3rd, Buccaneers 23rd, Falcons 28th
Beyond the numbers: CBS Sports gave the Panthers their highest ranking this week after defeating the Jaguars. Pete Prisco said that he expects Kyle Allen's win streak to continue as long as CMC can keep up his MVP-worthy performance.
