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The Carolina Panthers decided to swing for the fences in the 2022 offseason, bringing in Baker Mayfield in hopes of the former first overall pick becoming a star. However, the Mayfield experiment didn't work out. They still went 7-10 and almost won the division, so they believed they were just a QB away from true contention.
The Panthers traded their ninth pick, several other picks, and DJ Moore to the Bears for the first overall pick, which they used to draft Bryce Young. However, Young had a terrible rookie season as the Panthers went 2-15, and to make matters even worse, Mayfield went to the rival Buccaneers and finally broke out. Now, many fans and dynasty fantasy managers have already lost hope and are calling Young a bust, but is it justified to call a rookie QB with no help a bust?
Should you be buying, selling, or holding Young this offseason? Let's dive in.
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Bryce Young Rookie Season Review
We all know that Young didn't have the best rookie season ever, and his season looks especially worse considering how well C.J. Stroud, who was the second quarterback picked, played this season. Young finished with 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a poor 73.7 passer rating while also taking 62 sacks.
But obviously, it wasn't all his fault. We saw first-hand how hopeless Baker Mayfield looked with the Panthers in 2022, and how he immediately got better as soon as he left for a better situation in Tampa Bay.
Big believer in the 2024 Bryce Young bounce back. Understandable to be skeptical given ownership, but so far the front office has taken every measure to help their QB. Don’t know if Canales is McVay, but Young’s rookie year reminded me a lot of Goff’s. pic.twitter.com/bdkCSbHFPd
— Kyle Lindemann (@LuckIsMadeFF) March 18, 2024
The situation around Young was far from ideal. His offensive line struggled mightily this past season, and it's a reason why the Panthers have made it a focal point during the offseason. Also, the absence of DJ Moore hurt him.
Yes, Adam Thielen had 1,014 receiving yards this season, but his stats are inflated due to a four-game stretch from Week 3 to Week 6. Outside of that stretch, he averaged 43.9 yards per game, which would be around 747 yards a season. So Thielen certainly didn't have the consistency of a real 1,000-yard receiver.
He also had to deal with a coaching change, as the Panthers relieved Frank Reich of his duties after 11 games and promoted their special teams coordinator, Chris Tabor, to be their head coach. Obviously, the decision to let a special teams coordinator become the head coach of an NFL team didn't work out all too well for the Panthers.
But thankfully, things are now way better for the team. They have added a lot of pieces in the offseason, and have hired Dave Canales, who impressed in Tampa Bay as offensive coordinator last season. But we'll get to that in the final part of this article.
What is Bryce Young Worth in Dynasty Leagues?
According to KeepTradeCut.com's crowdsourced rankings, Young is being valued as the dynasty QB20. He's placed just behind Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff, and just ahead of Baker Mayfield and J.J. McCarthy. Considering how bad his rookie season was, this is a fair evaluation and Young's value could skyrocket with a successful season. However, a lot of dynasty fantasy managers are giving up on him already despite his massive potential.
Bryce Young will be a STAR QB in the NFL.
Bookmark it.
There will be a LOT of deleted tweets by the end of the 2024 season‼️
Are you in or out on Bryce? Let’s hear it “for the record” in my comments ⬇️
— PPRFantasyTips (@PPRFantasyTips) March 18, 2024
We've seen managers trade him for old QBs like Aaron Rodgers just for the short-term upside, while others are trying to cut their losses and are trading him for picks and lower-level QBs like Sam Darnold. However, if you took Young last year, you shouldn't have expected him to dominate right away. QBs like C.J. Stroud are the exception, not the rule. Rookie QBs usually don't do all too well if they're thrown to the fire in Year 1; just look at Peyton Manning, Jared Goff, and Trevor Lawrence.
Bryce Young 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook
Now, it seems like the Panthers are trying their best to get more talent around Young. The first step was beefing up the offensive line, and with the additions of guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, Young will have more time in the pocket to throw.
When behind Alabama's solid offensive line, Young was just sacked 18 times in 2022, and his ability to avoid the rush was one of his biggest strengths as a draft prospect. So you shouldn't pay that much attention to the 62 sacks that he took as a rookie.
these two about to cook with sophomore season Bryce Youngpic.twitter.com/EgD3iqqKIq
— =͟͟͞Blande (@JustBlande) March 14, 2024
He also has a big new weapon in former Pro Bowler Diontae Johnson, and they're also looking to add Mike Williams and Michael Gallup. They might not have a first-round pick this year because they used it to trade up for Young, but they have the first and seventh picks in the second round.
They could use them to upgrade the defense to give Young a larger margin for error, which is a crucial part of any QB's success. Chuba Hubbard also broke out last year and it's always nice for a quarterback to have a good running back in the backfield.
But perhaps the biggest addition to the Panthers in 2024 is Dave Canales. Matt Rhule and Frank Reich were both terrible for them, but Canales is a motivated young head coach who is a quarterback whisperer.
He has worked with Russell Wilson and was a big part of his ascent to stardom, he helped Geno Smith go from a draft bust to a two-time Pro Bowler, and as mentioned before, he revived Baker Mayfield's career and turned him into a Pro Bowler as well. He has helped every QB he has ever worked with, so it's entirely possible that he can take Young's game to the next level.
If you took Young last year, you should still try to hold him, and if he isn't on your roster, you can take advantage of a desperate fantasy manager who is trying to sell low. Young can easily be a fantasy QB1 in the future, you just have to trust the process.
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