Jonathan Stewart Has Underrated Value for Fantasy Playoff Teams

Through 11 games this season, Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart provided his fantasy owners with the same old story. They selected him in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts hoping he will finally stay healthy and produce to his full potential only to be disappointed once again.

This season, fantasy enthusiasts have been increasingly impatient with the ball-carrier, as he's only owned in 30.8 percent of ESPN.com leagues entering his Week 12 bye. That leaves some underrated value for running back-needy fantasy owners on the waiver wire.

But wait. How could Stewart possibly have any value now? After all, he's only reached the end zone twice this season and has yet to produce a 100-yard rushing performance. Well, like practically everything fantasy related, it's all about the matchups.

The Panthers are actually hitting the weakest part of their schedule in terms of opponents' strength against the run. Take a look:

Week	Opponent	NFL Rank vs. Run	Fantasy Avg. vs. RB
13	Minnesota Vikings	21	19.4 points
14	New Orleans Saints	19	18.3 points
15	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	22	18.6 points
16	Cleveland Browns	30	17.1 points
17	Atlanta Falcons	24	21.5 points

Those are some pretty favorable numbers, and they're coming at the right time: just before the fantasy playoffs.

This leads us to the issue of Stewart's timeshare with DeAngelo Williams. First things first: No one said this would be a perfect scenario for Stewart. Yes, he will continue to split the workload with his fellow running back; however, he's in no danger of being phased out.

Over the team's last three games with both backs active, Stewart received 26 carries to Williams' 31. During that span, Stewart looked like the most explosive runner, ripping off runs of at least 10 yards in each contest. Williams hasn't recorded a run longer than eight yards since Week 1.

This cutback run that went for 13 yards in Week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons is something we've seen all season long:

That kind of run warrants comments like this one from Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer:

Chris Wesseling of Around the NFL tweeted this question to head coach Ron Rivera:

Adding slightly to Stewart's value is his limited usage in the running game. Cam Newton hasn't exactly received stellar protection this year and is forced to use his running backs as checkdown options frequently. This led to seven receptions over the last two games for Stewart.

USA TODAY Sports

Finally, there's the case of Williams' inability to stay healthy. Sure, there's no telling what the future will hold; however, he's only played in five of the team's 11 games this season, as a rash of nagging injuries has hampered the ball-carrier.

So, here's the end game. Most fantasy owners have an expendable player or two residing on their bench. Heading into the fantasy playoffs, the goal is to have as many potential contributors as possible to protect from any setbacks. Consider Stewart one such contributor.

He may not be in the best situation in Carolina's backfield, but his matchups are favorable throughout the remainder of the regular season, and he'll be a decent candidate to plug into your starting lineup in a pinch.

Who knows, he just may save your fantasy season.

All fantasy football statistics courtesy of ESPN.com and current as of November 22.