RADIO
Here at RotoBaller, our dynasty crew will be reviewing all 32 teams in our offseason Dynasty Team outlook series. Leading up to the draft, we will break down every franchise as they currently stand and will review them again after the conclusion of free agency and the NFL Draft.
Which players should you buy and which players should you sell? Who will be sleepers this season and who will be busts? We will cover all the positions and all the angles for you.
The Panthers returned to prominence by making the playoffs, only to lose a closely contested Wild Card game with division rivals New Orleans. With a new running back and a former MVP at quarterback, could this team bring more fantasy value to the table by adding more pieces in the receiving game?
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Carolina Dynasty Outlook
Team Record: 11-5 (2nd, NFC South)
Fantasy Leaders
QB: Cam Newton - 299.5.8 (QB2)
RB: Christian McCaffrey - 228.6 (RB10)
WR: Devin Funchess - 195 (WR21)
TE: Ed Dickson - 79.7 (TE27)
IDP: Luke Kuechly - 236.5 (LB6)
Quarterback
Cam Newton has been a very interesting QB to own over the past few years. From finishing as the number one QB in fantasy in 2015 to the number 17 QB in fantasy in 2016, and back up to the No. 2 QB this year, he’s been all over the place. All in all, since 2012, he’s been a top five QB in every season except for one. Newton doesn’t always get the credit he deserves in dynasty, but this off-season it has seemed that he’s been gaining more respect out of owners. In Superflex and Two-QB leagues, Newton is a late first round, early second round pick. In single-QB leagues, his value obviously is significantly lower, but he is still an excellent quarterback to start week in and week out for years to come.
For dynasty purposes, Newton is the only QB on this team that you need to worry about. Cam is entering his eighth season in the league in 2018, and will be turning 29 in May. We’ve got a while before the idea of another QB in Carolina comes about.
Running Back
The former first round pick, Jonathan Stewart, has officially been released and will no longer be a Panther. Many fantasy owners out there immediately jumped to the conclusion that this was huge news for Christian McCaffrey. Let’s not go crazy with McCaffrey heading into 2018. I’m pretty convinced that the release of Stewart means next to nothing for McCaffrey. The one thing we can count on now is that the Panthers will either bring someone in via free agency, or draft a rookie RB to compliment him.
McCaffrey’s value came largely out of the passing game in 2017. He proved that he is an excellent weapon that the offense will likely be leaning on for years to come.
As stated previously, the release of Stewart isn’t much of a change for McCaffrey, as his role will more than likely be the same moving forward as it was last year. I don’t foresee the Panthers moving towards feeding him the rock, but rather using either Cameron Artis-Payne, or someone like Isaiah Crowell to compliment him and give some goal line work. I’d be surprised if the Panthers did not bring in another RB this off-season, but if that does happen, look for Artis-Payne to fill Stewart’s role for 2018.
Wide Receiver
Devin Funchess. That pretty much sums up the fantasy value among Panthers receivers in 2017. He was a very nice surprise and offered some excellent return on investment to redraft and dynasty owners alike. At this point in time, Funchess is a tough player to buy or sell. If you’re buying in on him, there’s a good chance the current owner isn’t sure what to think about him yet. This can cause his price to be higher than it should be, thanks to the possibility or upside argument that always is a key factor in dynasty trades. On the flipside, if you’re looking to sell him, you’re likely asking the owner to pay more for said upside, and the risk/reward factor is tough to gauge. As always, if you get an offer that is ridiculous, you take it. If you’re interested in investing in Funchess, go send some low ball offers out and see what the owner is thinking.
Rookie receiver Curtis Samuel was a very interesting prospect heading into 2017. Unfortunately, he wasn’t fantasy-relevant. After playing in just nine games in 2017, Samuel finished as the 125th WR in both standard and PPR scoring leagues. This was extremely disappointing for dynasty owners that drafted him, as he totaled 115 yards on 15 receptions. Have some patience with Samuel, and monitor what Carolina does at the WR position during the off-season and in the draft. If the Panthers don’t bring in another WR, look for Samuel to take a step forward in 2018. It wouldn’t take much for a step forward to happen, but only time will tell on Samuel’s future.
Tight End
With the injury early in the year to Greg Olsen, many owners lost one of the more reliable and consistent tight ends that the league has seen in some time. Ed Dickson stepped into the starting role, but let’s be honest, he’s no Olsen. With the Panthers offense making use out of their rookie RB McCaffrey and breakout receiver Funchess, the tight end position was far from it’s usual reliable cornerstone of that offense.
The tight end position is one that I believe the Panthers need to address at some point in the draft or in free agency. There are a few interesting rookie tight end prospects, as well as some free agents who could potentially land in Carolina. I’d monitor this position for the Panthers and see what they do as the off-season continues to roll on.
IDP
The big name for the Carolina Panthers in IDP this league, was none other than Luke Kuechly. After playing just ten games in 2016, he finished outside the top 8 for the first time in his career for linebackers. He bounced back this year, played all 16 games, and once again finished as a number one LB in fantasy. Kuechly turns 27 in April, and he should have several elite years left in him. You can count on him to continue to carry your team and put up consistent numbers at the linebacker position. Just look at his end-of-year rankings since breaking into the league:
2017 LB6
2016 LB28
2015 LB8
2014 LB1
2013 LB8
2012 LB2
At the cornerback position, James Bradberry finished as a mid CB2, as he finished the season as the number 17 cornerback. At the defensive end position, Mario Addison finished as a mid DE2, finishing as the number 18 defensive end. Bradberry becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2020, so he could have a couple years of mid CB2 production, with some upside depending what Carolina does in free agency and in the draft. Addison signed a three-year deal, but he will turn 31 in September, and isn’t an ideal long-term option for fantasy.
Off-Season Outlook
2018 Draft Picks: 1, 2, 3, 3 (Buffalo, 5, 6, 7, 7 (Buffalo)
Team Needs: G, WR, TE, DE, S
Looking forward to the 2018 NFL Draft, there are a few key positions that I expect them to target. The only round that the Panthers do not own for the 2018 draft is the fourth round. With a couple extra picks in the 3rd and 7th from Buffalo, they’ll be able to hit many of their team needs.
Offense
The main positions that I would expect the Panthers to target during the draft on offense are Guard, Wide Receiver, and Tight End. Andrew Norwell is a big name in free agency as far as the offensive line goes. The New York Giants have showed a lot of interest, and I’d expect him to be gone in 2018. This will be a big loss for the Panthers, and with some great OL talent this year in the draft, they’ll definitely need to target a new Guard.
Devin Funchess, despite his breakout campaign, isn’t exactly the ideal number on WR that you’d like to have. As stated previously, Curtis Samuel wasn’t anywhere near the dynasty community expected him to be. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds, but for now, Carolina will likely target another WR this year in the draft.
Ed Dickson is an unrestricted free agent this off-season and deserves no attention in dynasty leagues, no matter wherever he lands. Even with Olsen out for much of the year, he failed to make an impact. Greg Olsen has been a key piece of this offense for some time, but they need some youth. Olsen will be 33 heading into the 2018 season, and there is a very good chance that he still has a few good years in him. I wouldn’t expect the tight end they draft to be a very fantasy relevant one, but I’d expect they target a tight end at some point in the draft as well.
Defense
One of the biggest needs that Carolina has is at the safety position. They’ve used several picks over the past few years on youth at the cornerback position, but they need to target a safety. Mike Adams, Kurt Coleman, Colin Jones, and Jairus Byrd are all over 30 years old. Adams will be in the last year of his contract in 2018, and Byrd is a free agent. Plan on Carolina targeting a safety fairly early this year.
Julius Peppers may have a year or two left in him, but he has been a big topic of off-season moves and I’d expect to move on to either Green Bay or possibly New England. Charles Johnson was also released, which was pretty much expected. Look for the Panthers to either make a splash in free agency or target a DE fairly early in the draft.
