The Carolina Panthers made a huge move ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft and invested their short-term future with quarterback Bryce Young, whom they chose with the No. 1 overall pick. The team brought in Frank Reich to be their head coach, but a horrible start to the year saw him fired. Carolina finished the season with a dismal 2-15 record, but it didn’t own its first-round pick in 2024 because it was included in the trade package for Young.
The Panthers have hired QB whisperer Dave Canales as their latest head coach, and there is hope that he will jumpstart Young’s development like he did with Geno Smith in Seattle and Baker Mayfield last year in Tampa Bay. With a glimmer of hope for Carolina, let’s look at which Panthers could be relevant for 2024 fantasy football leagues.
Bryce Young
Young experienced some growing pains in his first season. Analysts dragged him for throwing an interception to the same Atlanta Falcons defensive back on the same route twice in a game. In the rookie’s defense, he did have his offensive coordinator calling plays, then Reich took over, and then when he was fired, yet another voice was giving him instructions. Young ended his rookie campaign with 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, leaving much to be desired for Year 2.
The second-year quarterback will be an afterthought for fantasy football until he shows a turnaround on the field. Mayfield, who struggled in Carolina in 2022, finished as the QB10 last season for fantasy under Canales’ tutelage. There is no need to draft Young unless you are in a 32-team league, but keep an eye on his early development, and he could be a good bye-week fill-in given a good matchup.
Jonathon Brooks
Brooks was the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL Draft despite a torn ACL suffered last November. He spent three years playing for the Texas Longhorns but sat behind Bijan Robinson for the first two. Brooks finally got his chance to shine in 2023 and didn’t waste it before his injury. He played in 11 games but picked up 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, adding 286 yards and another score through the air.
Brooks is being drafted as the overall RB29 in half-PPR scoring in the eighth round of 12-team drafts. He is being selected ahead of Devin Singletary, Javonte Williams and Brian Robinson. His fantasy football outlook will likely depend on updates throughout training camp on the status of his knee. Brooks could force his way into the lead back role if he is healthy, but there is just as much chance for a split backfield if he isn’t 100% ready to go. His average draft position (ADP) is a fine place to draft him, but if we get promising news on his knee or a couple of viral training camp runs, expect it to increase.
Chuba Hubbard
Hubbard was expected to take a backseat in 2023 as the backup to new signee Miles Sanders. Whether it was injury or a struggling offensive gameplan, Sanders couldn’t recreate his recent success with the Philadelphia Eagles, giving Hubbard an opening that he didn’t waste. He carried the ball 238 times and picked up 902 yards and five touchdowns in a bad offense. Hubbard added 233 yards on 39 receptions and finished as the overall RB26 in half-PPR leagues.
The Carolina running back is headed into his fourth career season and the final year of his rookie contract. Hubbard is being drafted as the RB47, but that will likely shift depending on the news we get about Brooks. If he misses any time to begin the regular season, Hubbard should see a boost in ADP and work, and that makes him at least a valuable stash.
Diontae Johnson
As Carolina looks to turn around its offense, it acquired Diontae Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He should step into the No. 1 wide receiver role with the Panthers as he had with the Steelers, with Young looking for him early and often in games. Johnson had Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky throwing him passes last season and finished with 717 yards and five touchdowns on 51 receptions. These numbers weren’t his best, and he finished 2023 as the overall WR43 in half-PPR.
Adam Thielen was the Panthers’ leading receiver a year ago, and he finished with 1,014 yards and four touchdowns as the WR25. If Johnson can see that kind of work, he would undoubtedly be worth his WR38 ADP. This depends on your faith in the Carolina offense and its possible turnaround. Johnson should see a high target share from Young, and I think he has value at his ADP.
Adam Thielen/Xavier Legette
While Johnson will hope to recreate Thielen’s 2023 performance, Thielen himself is still on the roster. There is hope that one of these receivers will maintain consistent fantasy relevance, but it may end up being a situation where someone different catches Young’s eye every week. Thielen is being drafted in 2024 as the WR64 but should have a decent enough floor to be worth rostering.
Carolina didn’t own its first round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Its first pick was supposed to be the first in the second round, but they traded up one spot to select Legette and have the fifth-year option for the South Carolina wide receiver. Legette spent five years with the Gameco*cks and didn’t break out until his final season. He finished with 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns, but the lone season of production is cause for concern. Legette is going right behind Thielen as the WR64 in half-PPR scoring. Like his veteran teammate, the rookie is worth a stash, but I don’t have high expectations for him starting out. Wide receivers are notorious for taking a step forward in their second season.
Tommy Tremble/Ja’Tavion Sanders
Ever since Greg Olsen left the Panthers in 2020, fans and fantasy football managers alike have been waiting for their next great tight end to show up. Tommy Tremble was a third-round pick in 2021 but had to deal with a revolving door under center, so he couldn’t perform consistently. Last year, he played in 16 games and had just 194 yards and three touchdowns.
Carolina drafted Sanders in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Texas. While he spent three years with the Longhorns, he really only saw playing time in the latter two. Sanders combined for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns in 27 games. There is a lot of potential in his development; it just will be a matter of time to see if he landed in the right spot for it to happen.
Sanders is being drafted as the overall TE34 in half-PPR leagues, and Tremble as the TE50. These guys may be worth a target in best ball leagues, but until they perform on the field, leave them on the waiver wire in anything but a 32-team fantasy football league.
Eddy Pineiro
Piniero is heading into his fifth season and his third with the Panthers. He played in 15 games last season and connected on 25 of his 29 field goal attempts. Piniero also hit all but three of his extra-point attempts. The Carolina offense wasn’t good, so Piniero didn’t get many looks. He is not draftable for fantasy football but is worth monitoring if the Panthers’ offense is significantly better in 2024.
D/ST
Carolina’s defense wasn’t that bad last season; it was just that the offense couldn’t sustain drives. The Panthers’ D/ST has quite literally the lowest ADP of any defense in the NFL for 2024. Canales is an offensive-minded head coach, but there may be a week or two that they could be a bye week fill-in if they have a good matchup and have a bounce-back year to that point. Otherwise, no need to have them on your fantasy football radar.
