Carolina Panthers

What you need to know (2023 Season):

• Record: 2-15 (4th in NFC South)

• Points Per Game: 13.9 (T-Last)

• Yards Per Game: 265.3 (Last)

• Fired Head Coach Frank Reich

• Fired Interim Head Coach Chris Tabor

• Fired Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown

• Hired Dave Canales As New Head Coach (Formerly Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator)

• Hired Brad Idzik As New Offensive Coordinator (Formerly Buccaneers Wide Receiver Coach)

After trading a haul to Chicago to move up to the first overall selection in 2023 to draft quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers finished with the worst record in the NFL. They fired Frank Reich after week 12, with a 1-10 record, in the first year of his 4-year contract. Needless to say, everything went downhill in a hurry and it’s going to take some time to get out of the hole they [Panthers] dug. New head coach Dave Canales is trying to move in the right direction while putting his young quarterback in a position to succeed. Will Carolina take a step forward or be forced to be on the cusp of going back to square one? Only time will tell.

• Key Additions: None

• Draft Picks: None

• Notable Losses: None

The Carolina Panthers didn’t do anything alarming to its’ quarterback room. Bryce Young is still the hopeful future face of the franchise while Andy Dalton’s veteran presence will be influential. In 16 starts, Young only had two multi-touchdown games and six games over 10 fantasy points. In the past 10 years, Young had the lowest PPG (10.4) among all the other former first-overall selections. There were some good and bad in Young’s rookie season, but there is only one way to go and that’s up.

Thankfully for Carolina and Bryce Young, Dave Canales’ single season as an offensive coordinator led him to assist Baker Mayfield to career highs in pass completions (364), attempts (566), yards (4044), and touchdowns (28). Mayfield also had his best fantasy season finishing as QB10 on the year and averaging 16.7 PPG. Can Dave Canales work his magic with another passer? We’ll find out, but even Rome wasn’t built in a day.

The Backfield

• Key Additions: Rashaad Penny (Signed from Eagles)

• Draft Picks: Jonathon Brooks (2nd Round)

• Notable Losses: None

Heading into training camp, it’s going to be a crowded backfield in Charlotte. Returning co-starters Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders were the top cats last season, but both were outside the top 24 in PPR scoring. Second-round rookie, Jonathon Brooks, is still recovering from an ACL injury from his final collegiate season and Rashaad Penny has been active for eight games the previous two seasons. There is a lot of potential here, but the most likely outcome is that it’ll be a running back-by-committee until the promising rookie is fully healthy and ready to take on a full workload.

Last season as Tampa Bay’s play-caller, Dave Canales averaged 25.4 rush attempts per game, tied for 23rd in the league. That’s not a lot of touches to go around, so if it’s a split backfield, they’ll have to be efficient with their touches. When healthy, Jonathon Brooks should easily take over as the lead-back, but on an offense that’ll likely be average at best with low-volume concerns, his ceiling is a weekly mid-range RB2. Last season Hubbard averaged 10.7 PPG to Miles Sanders’ 5.5 PPG in PPR leagues. For the zero-RB crowd, if Brooks starts the season on injured reserve, Chuba Hubbard should serve as a decent fantasy option until his return.

The Pass-Catchers

• Key Additions: Diontae Johnson (Traded from Steelers)

• Draft Picks: Xavier Legette (1st Round), Ja’Tavion Sanders (4th Round)

• Notable Losses: DJ Chark (Signed with Chargers), Hayden Hurst (Signed with Chargers)

The message was clear this offseason: Get Bryce Young weapons! First, they got an upcoming offensive-minded head coach. They traded for Diontae Johnson from Pittsburgh. Drafted arguably the best running back, Jonathon Brooks, in the draft along with two additional pass catchers in Xavier Leggette and Ja’Tavion Sanders. Not to mention being aggressive in free agency to beef up the offensive line.

Last season Adam Thielen went back in time as he finished at WR17. Before Frank Reich got fired, Thielen was sitting at WR11 and averaging 9 targets per game and 16 PPG. However, in those final six weeks, Thielen tapered off as he dropped down to 6 targets per game and 9.1 PPG as the WR43. As a rookie, Jonathan Mingo was second on the team in targets, and receptions, and third in yards while still chasing his first touchdown grab. Things won’t get easier for Mingo in 2024, however. The Panthers traded for Diontae Johnson and moved into the first round to draft Xavier Legette. Before last season, Johnson saw 140+ targets in three straight seasons. He’s no slouch and could be a great safety net for Bryce Young. Xavier Legette is a big-bodied receiver who excels in contested catches. Adam Thielen could be a cap causality release next season, so Legette and Mingo will likely alternate series in 3-WR sets this year as they soak up all the veteran leadership. Unless one pops off, they’re both going to be outside the top 50 fantasy wide receivers.

The Panthers haven’t had a top-36 fantasy tight end since Greg Olsen’s final season in Carolina in 2019. Both Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble have had their chance to be the guy, but neither has done anything with their opportunities. The best bet to end the streak is 4th round rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders, but rookie tight ends don’t have the best track record in fantasy their first season. The competition for targets is steep and Sanders will need to climb the depth chart before making an impact on the field. More of a dynasty stash than in Redraft. If you’re looking for a deep sleeper at the tight end position, Carolina is not the team in 2024.

2024 Fantasy Summary

We’ll see how Bryce Young does in his sophomore season. He’s got all the tools to be successful, so there are no excuses this season. Currently sitting at QB30, he’s a great value and could be a steal. The health of Jonathon Brooks will be an important note to keep an eye on. If he’s ready for the start of the season, it’s wheels up, but if he’s got to sit any length of time Chuba Hubbard will likely be the main beneficiary with low-end RB2 to high-end RB3 status. All the tight ends should be avoided as of right now. Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble have been canceling each other out for years and now they add rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders to the mix. Sanders has potential, but he’s a wait-and-see player to add off waivers rather than waste a redraft pick.

I don’t particularly fancy any of the wide receivers in this group, but I think Diontae Johnson has the highest ceiling of them all. He’s currently sitting at a mid to late WR3 for me right now. Despite Adam Thielen’s strong start to the 2023 season and already having chemistry with Bryce Young, he could lose playing time at some point during the season as Carolina is going through a youth movement. Thielen offers flex appeal or a bye-week filler early in the season, but don’t plan on him being a contributor for your fantasy team all season. Speaking of the kittens on the team, Jonathan Mingo and Xavier Legette will battle for playing time. They’ll compete for a starting role in 3-WR sets and eventually take over for the aging Adam Thielen. However, as of right now, neither offers much redraft appeal and is more likely to be a late-season waiver-wire addition than an early-season contributor. The 2024 first-rounder (Legette) has a leg up on the 2023 second-rounder (Mingo) since he was drafted by the current regime and even traded back into the first round to select him.