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Ever since Cam Newton entered the league in 2011, the Carolina Panthers have had one of the more exciting offenses both in real-life football and in fantasy. The Panthers have even managed to make the playoffs the last two years in spite of Newton’s dip in volume numbers. Between the addition of Kelvin Benjamin and some much needed shifts in personnel, you should expect the Carolina offense to continue it’s status as a highly fantasy relevant team.
Offseason Acquisitions: WR Jarrett Boykin, WR Ted Ginn Jr, WR Devin Funchess, RB, Jordan Todman, RB Cameron Artis-Payne
No Longer on the Roster: RB DeAngelo Williams
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Quarterback
Over the last two seasons, Cam Newton’s numbers have been on a steady decline. His highest passing yard total came in his rookie year at 4,051 and has dipped all the way down to 3,127 in 2014. The argument for Cam Newton as a fantasy quarterback has always been his ability to rush outside the pocket, totaling over 700 rush yards in each of his first two years. Much like his passing yard total, his rushing numbers have dipped as well as he hasn’t exceeded 600 yards in the last two years. Newton did miss two games last year so that certainly contributed to his drop in production. In fact, those were the first two games he missed in his four-year career. You might be thinking that I’m telling you about Cam Newton getting worse as a player as a means to avoid drafting him in fantasy but I’m actually setting up to swerve you.
Cam Newton currently ranks toward the end of the top 10 at the position, often slotted behind the likes of Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan. After the top five quarterbacks, you can pretty much make a case for any order of the next five or six passers. With Roethlisberger coming off a career year and Ryan being one of the safest quarterbacks in football, it’s a fair ranking for Newton considering his most recent numbers. That being said, I tend to prefer waiting on quarterback in a 10 or 12 team league and aim for whoever is left amongst that group. With Newton possessing the most upside, I’d happily snag him in the ninth round or so. At that point in the draft, you’re looking for a balance between value and upside and Newton definitely fits that description. His recent numbers have kind of brought him down far enough to the point where he might actually end up being a bargain. This is a case where the hate has gone too far.
Wide Receivers
After last year’s breakout performance from rookie Kelvin Benjamin, the Panthers are now on a quest to find a number two wide receiver. Benjamin had a terrific year as a rookie, racking up 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns on 146 targets. Those 146 targets are the most a wide receiver on the Panthers has had since Cam Newton became the starting quarterback. Perhaps an even more telling statistic is that the last Carolina receiver to have that many targets was Steve Smith with 149 in 2007. That’s a clear indication that this team isn’t afraid to utilize Kelvin Benjamin as a major focal point in the offense. He’s currently ranked as a mid-range WR2 and possesses even more value in PPR leagues. There was a minor hiccup this offseason about Benjamin reporting to camp overweight but it turns out he was only five pounds over his playing weight. There’s plenty of time for him to get into tip-top shape before the seasons starts so I wouldn’t be worried about that at all.
The search for that aforementioned number two wide receiver begins with longtime veteran Jericho Cotchery and ends with with a group of new additions. The Panthers added Ted Ginn Jr and Jarrett Boykin via free agency and selected rookie Devin Funchess in the 2015 NFL draft. Cotchery was regarded as the default number one receiver prior to Benjamin emerging as an automatic star last year. His 2014 stat line isn’t impressive at all with just 580 yards and one touchdown. You can disregard him for fantasy purposes. I view Ginn as an addition for depth more than anything else but Boykin is an attractive name. Boykin showed flashes of playmaking ability in Green Bay but you have to remember that the Packer offense is one of the best in the league. When Aaron Rodgers is throwing the ball, even you or I at least have a shot at fantasy relevance. Although this is an offense that could potentially sustain two fantasy relevant wide receivers, the most intriguing name is actually rookie Devin Funchess who we’ll get to a bit later.
Running Backs
It took long enough but the Carolina Panthers have finally provided us with some clarity in regard to their ground game. For years we had the dilemma of dealing with the presence of both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart sharing the workload. Throw in Mike Tolbert and this has been a disaster to follow since 2012. Now that Williams has signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Stewart should be finally receiving the majority of the carries. In 2014, the Panthers ranked eighth and 19th in rushing and passing attempts respectively, showing that they’re one of the more balanced teams in the NFL. However, even with 473 rush attempts, Jonathan Stewart only accounted for 175. For some added context, Cam Newton ran 103 times while DeAngelo Williams had 62 attempts. A large part of that breakdown is due to the fact that Williams only played in six games last season. Even with Williams missing extended time, those 175 attempts for Stewart aren't all that high.
Stewart missed three games of his own and has actually missed a total of 20 games over the last three years. Projecting him to play all 16 games would be a long shot but even still, his ranking as a low-end RB2 is justified. There isn’t much competition for him to deal with and if it wasn’t for Cam Newton running the ball on his own, Stewart’s value might even go up. That being said, his value does take a hit in PPR leagues due Cam’s legs. This isn’t a team that will utilize passes in the backfield very much since Newton can just scramble out of the pocket rather than dump it off.
The addition of Jordan Todman is one of depth more than anything else. Todman had chances to turn into a starter in Jacksonville but it never panned out. Rookie Cameron Artis-Payne will be an interesting name to keep an eye on as a potential handcuff to Stewart. Artis-Payne will likely have to beat out Todman and Fozzy Whittaker so I wouldn’t say this is a team that has a clear handcuff just yet. It’s a fluid situation that will likely develop over the course of the pre-season.
Rookies and Tight Ends
Devin Funchess was selected in the second round of the draft out of the University of Michigan. The fact that the Panthers selected a wide receiver in the second round should show you that they’re desperate to try and find a player to compliment Kelvin Benjamin. If Funchess can overcome concerns about his lack of speed, him and Benjamin could become a deadly red-zone combination. Benjamin is 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds where as Funchess is 6-foot-4 and 236. These are two big receivers who would be a matchup nightmare inside the 20-yard line. Cotchery and Boykin might have the edge early on, but I’d keep my eye out for Funchess as a touchdown vulture. You won’t need to draft him but if he starts him producing, scoop him off waivers before it’s too late.
Tight end Greg Olsen remains the one true mainstay among Carolina pass catchers. He’s been the one constant in this offense since Newton’s rookie year and is actually coming off of his best season statistically. Olsen’s 1,008 receiving yards in 2014 were the most of his career as were his 88 receptions on 122 targets. There’s no reason to expect Olsen won’t continue to be productive and should be regarded as one of the few locks at the tight end position for fantasy purposes. Given his consistency and production, you’ll likely have to secure Olsen rather early in your draft. As long as you’re comfortable knowing you’re taking a hit at a different position, whether it’s QB, WR2, RB2, or flex, Olsen is well worth his status as the third tight end off the board. In fact, I would go as far as to say that there’s an argument that the Panthers don’t actually need a number two receiver because of how much they lean on Olsen. He is, for all intents and purposes, their number two receiving option behind Kelvin Benjamin.
Summary
There are a lot of names floating around on the Carolina offense but once you figure out what’s what it’s pretty straightforward. Cam Newton’s value has depleted enough to the point where he’s worth a mid-round pick as your starting quarterback with massive upside. Kelvin Benjamin should prove to be a solid WR2 in an offense that will utilize it’s tight end as it’s secondary pass catcher. Hopefully this offense continues to expand and is able to produce a second relevant wide receiver, preferably the likes of rookie Devin Funchess. The Panthers might not get as much fantasy attention as the Green Bay Packers or Denver Broncos but they are absolutely every bit as relevant.
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