How did the Panthers do in fantasy football? Will those trends continue?
The Carolina Panthers got blown out again (this time by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) in what has been a roller coaster last several weeks. Let’s take a look back at how individual Panthers players fared and if they are worth keeping moving forward. For these articles, I will be using fantasy totals in an ESPN Fantasy league I am part of, so your numbers might have been slightly different.
Quarterback
Bryce Young
Despite the team getting dominated in every phase of the game, Bryce still had a solid day overall. He surpassed 200 passing yards and threw for a couple of touchdowns, the team’s only scores of the entire game. This netted him a respectable 16.92 fantasy points. The lack of a run game put Bryce in a tough spot most of the game, so hopefully this week will see some success on the ground lead to some play action shots downfield.
Running Backs
Miles Sanders
With Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks on Injured Reserve for the rest of the season, the Panthers were in dire straits at the running back position last week. Raheem Blackshear and Mike Boone did their best, but they are not NFL caliber running backs. Sanders was just designated to return from IR this week, and I can’t imagine they’d bring him back just to not play him. This will likely be Sanders’ last game in a Panthers uniform, so you might consider picking him up on waivers just to see if he can spark something.
Wide Receivers
Xavier Legette
Legette was a little up and down against the Bucs. On the one hand, he did haul in five of his nine targets. On the other hand, that was only good for 28 yards and his hands looked a little shaky even on the balls he caught. He has yet to really get a good rapport with Bryce, and they should already be planning some spring workouts together to get on the same page. Legette’s value in fantasy football is entirely dependent on his ability to score, so right now he’s too volatile to rely on.
Jalen Coker
While Legette had a bunch of targets but looked shaky when receiving them, Coker had the opposite experience. He only had two targets but caught both for 35 yards. He does seem to be on the same page with Bryce when things begin to break down, so hopefully that connection continues to improve. The Panthers threw the ball 28 times, and Coker only got two targets. That definitely needs to increase this week as the team starts to play for next season.
Adam Thielen
The ageless wonder, man. Thielen is Bryce’s go-to, his security blanket, heck he’d probably be the best man at Bryce’s wedding at this point. Thielen was targeted quite a bit early on, finishing with five catches for 110 yards and both of Bryce’s passing touchdowns which was good for 28.2 fantasy points. He scored on two beautiful throws, including a pass that traveled around 50 yards in the air. The old man still has a knack for getting open and hauling in some tough passes. If he does play on Sunday, I’d expect him to be a focal point early before Canales moves to focus on some younger guys and getting them some live reps.