2024 Carolina Panthers Fantasy Preview
2023 will go down as one of the most disastrous seasons for any franchise in NFL history. After going all in to acquire the top overall pick, Frank Reich’s tenure lasted all of 11 games, and top pick Bryce Young posted one of the worst rookie campaigns since the 2000 NFL season. Now missing their own No. 1 selection in 2024, Dave Canales has a tough task trying to turn around one of the worst rosters in football.
Young was unequivocally awful in Year One, averaging the fewest fantasy points per start for any signal-caller who started more than 12 games. Coaching, lack of supporting cast, and a poor offensive line played a big part, but the Panthers ranked dead last in passing and total offense. Young ranked 40th in adjusted completion rate and surpassed 250 yards once all season.
It is too soon to write Young off, but his career trajectory is in trouble. He is only a middling dynasty QB2 in Superflex leagues and should be left on the waiver wire in all other formats.
The Panthers had more success running the ball. Carolina ranked 20th in rushing, led by Chuba Hubbard’s 1,135 scrimmage yards and team-high five scores. However, second-round rookie RB Jonathon Brooks was the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL Draft and will be the heavy favorite to lead the backfield in touches when he is healthy.
Surrounding Young with better weapons was paramount for Canales. In March, the Panthers acquired disgruntled WR Diontae Johnson from the Steelers. Johnson was a target magnet in his first four seasons and enters 2024 motivated to ball out in a contract season.
Johnson will likely play from the perimeter as incumbent slot man Adam Thielen ranked fourth in the NFL with 82 slot targets. Carolina’s top two wideouts should warrant enough targets to be fantasy-relevant as potential flex options.
Carolina traded back up into the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft to select promising South Carolina WR Xavier Legette. The No. 32 pick has sub-4.4 speed and projects to be a perimeter threat once he can consistently defeat press coverage.
At tight end, Carolina will stick with a committee approach that is far from fantasy-friendly. Hayden Hurst and Tommy Tremble led the group with a meager 32 targets. Fourth-round rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders has a real shot at leading the way in 2024, mixing in with Tremble.
Carolina is in a full-blown rebuild with more questions than answers. That makes the Panthers an undesirable roster to target in fantasy football drafts. Some mid-to-late-round options offer some volume appeal on this roster, but Bryce Young must make huge strides in his second season.
Quarterbacks
QB BRYCE YOUNG – DYNASTY ONLY
Any way you look at it, Bryce Young was horrendous as a rookie. Young failed to eclipse 200 yards in 11 of his 16 starts. Young was limited to single-digit fantasy outings 11 times and ranked dead last with an appalling 5.5 yards per attempt. A new regime in Carolina will try to right the ship but it won’t be easy. The Panthers are projected to win the fewest games in the league. Fortunatley, reinforcements are on the way with Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, Jonathon Brooks, and Ja’Tavion Sanders. But even with a new staff and supporting cast, Young should be viewed as a total fade except for patient dynasty managers. ADVICE: Not a reliable QB2.
QB ANDY DALTON – NOT DRAFT WORTHY
The Panthers added a ton of weapons in an effort to help Bryce Young. They’ll give their second-year QB every opportunity to rebound from a forgettable debut, but if Young continues to struggle, Any Dalton is more than capable of moving the ball up and down the field quite well. Dalton isn’t a legitimate fantasy-caliber starter but he would be a solid QB2 in the event that Young were sidelined or benched.
Running Backs
RB JONATHON BROOKS – QUALITY BACKUP
The consensus RB1 in the 2024 NFL Draft, Jonathon Brooks showcased a three-down skillset while playing behind Bijan Robinson at Texas. When finally given the chance to start, Brook shined, showing outstanding elusiveness, tackle-breaking ability, speed, and receiving chops before tearing his ACL. As poorly as the Panthers played last season, Chuba Hubbard still posted RB28 numbers. Provided he is healthy, Brooks (6-0, 216) has the frame, decisiveness, and power/speed combo to be an immediate RB2. The only concern is his knee. Carolina’s new brass could easily err on the side of caution and keep Hubbard heavily involved. ADVICE: Outstanding talent but will need to monitor his recovery.
RB CHUBA HUBBARD – QUALITY BACKUP
Hubbard was a nice surprise last season, leaping Miles Sanders on the depth chart and leading Carolina in rushing (902), touchdowns (5), and fantasy points per game (10.7). However, the addition of this year’s top rookie rusher in Texas RB Jonathon Brooks will reduce Hubbard to reserve duties on a team projected to win the fewest games in 2024. Hubbard might open the season as Carolina’s starter as Brooks makes his way back from a torn ACL, but it is only a matter of time before the rookie leads this backfield. ADVICE: Late-round flier with finite fantasy value.
RB MILES SANDERS – LOW POTENTIAL
ADVICE: Sanders was bypassed by Chuba Hubbard and now the Panthers added the draft’s top running back in Jonathon Brooks. If Sanders is going to have any fantasy value in 2024, it’s unlikely to happen in Carolina.
Wide Receivers
WR DIONTAE JOHNSON – QUALITY BACKUP
In Pittsburgh, Diontae Johnson led the team with a 26% target share and 9.2 points per game in his first eight games of 2023. Following his return from injury in Week 7, Johnson was highly effective, securing a 23% target share, scoring five touchdowns, and averaging 14 expected fantasy points per game. Now in Carolina, Johnson is poised to receive a significant number of targets in an offense that propelled Adam Thielen to a WR25 finish. Johnson projects as at least a fantasy WR3, with the potential for a higher ceiling if Bryce Young can make strides in 2024. ADVICE: Sneaky source of reliable volume but with limited ceiling.
WR ADAM THIELEN – QUALITY BACKUP
Thielen was a tremendous bargain last season, ranking 14th with 137 targets and finishing as the WR25. Thielen ran a career-high 69.1% of his routes from the slot, resulting in the lowest ADOT (8.0) of his career. This year, Thielen won’t see a 22.4% target share with Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette now in Carolina. 34 when the season opens, Thielen is nearing the end of the line, but he can still be a trusty outlet receiver and safety valve for his young quarterback. The ceiling isn’t high, but Thielen should outproduce his ADP once again. ADVICE: Don’t expect another 137 targets but Thielen is still a solid source of weekly targets with descending upside.
WR XAVIER LEGETTE – BYE WEEK FILL-IN
From an athletic standpoint, Xavier Legette checks all the boxes to be a solid X receiver. He’s got size (6-1, 221), speed (4.39), good burst, and a solid catch radius. He also has first-round draft capital after the Panthers traded up to snag him with the final pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Legette is penciled in as the starting perimeter wideout opposite Diontae Johnson in a Carolina offense that should be vastly improved. He only had one standout season in college, so he’s a bit of an unknown but Legette has the ball skills to make an NFL impact. ADVICE: Has a chance to develop into a solid red-zone and contested-catch weapon.
WR JONATHAN MINGO – DYNASTY ONLY
Mingo drew a solid 85 targets as a rookie but he was woefully ineffective. Part of that is on his quarterback, but Mingo only corralled an abysmal 36% of those looks and compiled a dreadful 56.2 QB Rating when targeted. Now, a new staff in Carolina has no ties to the second-year WR, and the addition of Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette pushes Mingo off the fantasy radar. He won’t come anywhere near 85 targets as the Panthers’ No. 4 wide receiver. ADVICE: Well off the fantasy radar after and trending in the wrong direction.
Tight Ends
TE JA’TAVION SANDERS – DYNASTY ONLY
ADVICE: Sanders holds the Texas all-time record for receiving yards for a tight end and has a clear path to opening the season atop Carolina’s depth chart.
TE TOMMY TREMBLE – LOW POTENTIAL
ADVICE: Tremble has been a consistent option in his first three seasons. But with Ja’Tavion Sanders now in Carolina, Tremble doesn’t really have a path to improve on his modest numbers.
Place Kicker
PK EDDY PINEIRO – NOT DRAFT WORTHY
Piñero converted over 86% of his field goals but the Panthers only attempted a lowly 20 extra point attempts all season. The fifth-year veteran has been held under 100 kicking points in three of his previous four NFL campaigns. While Carolina made serious strides to improve their stagnant offense, there is no reason to draft Piñero, who projects to be among the bottom-10 scoring kickers in the league.
Defense/Special Teams
CAROLINA PANTHERS – NOT DRAFT WORTHY
The Panthers were abysmal last season, ranking dead last with 27 sacks, eight sacks, and just three fumble recoveries. They were the worst fantasy defense in the league. Carolina scored fewer than half the points than the top eight scoring leaders mustered. There is nowhere to go but up and a new regime can only help. However, the Panthers are well off the fantasy radar.
Other 2024 Fantasy Football Previews
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