RADIO
Bryce Young Emerging as a Strong Superflex Option in Week 2
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young had a 107.5 QB rating and will look to build on his strong performance last Sunday against the Bears when the Panthers go on the road against the Falcons. Young completed 23 of 37 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 10 yards and a score on two carries in Sunday's 59-37 loss to the Bears. The 25-year-old will look to stay hot against a Falcons defense that allowed 221 passing yards and a 5.4 YPA to Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. All of Young's offensive weapons will be available on Sunday as Jalen Coker (ankle) was cleared and doesn't carry an injury designation heading into Week 2. The former No. 1 overall pick threw a career-high 25 touchdowns last season and could easily build on those numbers in 2026. Young is a rock-solid option in Superflex/2QB leagues and comes in as QB18 in the latest RotoBaller rankings.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Bryce Young on the Waiver Radar After Strong Week 1 Performance
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young looked very strong in the Week 1 season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday and could already be in contention as a Week 2 streamer in an upcoming matchup against the division-rival Atlanta Falcons this Sunday. In the first game of his fourth year in the NFL, Young completed 62.2% of his 37 pass attempts for 361 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in a 59-37 loss to the Bears. The 25-year-old former first overall pick from Alabama in 2023 also ran the ball twice for 10 yards and an additional touchdown. Young had his best season as a pro, particularly late in the season, in 2025, throwing for a career-best 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 16 regular-season starts to get the Panthers into the postseason. He is off to a great start in 2026 and has an excellent chance to build on his numbers from a year ago in another season with Dave Canales as his head coach. Young is only rostered in 14% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
Bryce Young's Four Touchdowns Not Enough in Week 1 Loss
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 23 of his 37 pass attempts for 361 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and one interception during Sunday's 59-37 loss against the Chicago Bears. He also logged an additional 10 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, bringing him to a total of four touchdowns in Week 1. Other than the loss, the only real blemish on Young's stat line was the one interception. He did take two sacks, but that's not an alarming number considering he attempted 37 passes, and the Panthers' offense ran 62 plays. It's fair to assume that Young's counting stats will come back down to earth in a lower-scoring game that doesn't require him to pass as much, but at least he showed that he's capable of going toe-to-toe against one of the best teams in football. He should remain in the low-end QB1 tier for next week's very favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Bryce Young Mainly an Option in Superflex Leagues for Week 1
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young will look to kick off the season on a high note in Sunday's Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears. The Panthers offense struggled this preseason as Young completed eight of 11 passes for 67 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions in four drives. The former No. 1 overall pick threw for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions over 16 games in 2025. He failed to crack 200 passing yards in 12 of 16 games. Despite the inconsistencies, Young is on the Superflex or 2QB league radar against a Bears defense that was 19th against the pass, allowing 234.5 passing yards per game. He comes in as RotoBaller's QB26, and with an over/under of 47.5 points, the 25-year-old might have to air it out to help keep up with the Bears' high-octane offense. Despite the decent matchup, Young is mainly an option in Superflex and 2QB formats and is considered a risky streamer in single-QB leagues heading into Week 1.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Bryce Young a Risky Streaming Option for Week 1
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is available in most leagues heading into Week 1, with his Yahoo roster rate sitting at 13%. There was progress last season, but fantasy managers still had to live with some rough weeks. Young finished as the QB19 after throwing for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns in 16 games, while adding 216 yards and two scores on the ground. Only four of those 16 games went over 200 passing yards. One of them was a huge one, a 448-yard, three-touchdown game against Atlanta. That is pretty much the issue with Young right now. The ceiling showed up, but not often enough. Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette are all back, so the supporting cast is familiar, and Young opens at home against Chicago. RotoBaller has him at QB30 for Week 1, which tells you where the trust level is. He belongs on rosters in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. In one-QB formats, Young is more of a risky streamer or bench stash than someone managers need to rush out and add.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Bryce Young Working with New Play-Caller in 2026
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young will be working with a new play caller this upcoming season. Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik will be taking over the play-calling duties from Dave Canales, according to Mike Kaye of ESPN. Idzik is entering his third season as the OC in Carolina. Young recently described the new play calling as aggressive, so we'll see what that means during the regular season. Young completed eight of 11 passing attempts for 67 yards during the preseason. The Panthers are limited in terms of offensive weapons, but Tetairoa McMillan could be in for a big year.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Haynes King Projected to Make Panthers 53-Man Roster
Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Haynes King (hamstring) was included in Joseph Person of The Athletic's latest 53-man roster projection. The Panthers have a clear QB1 in Bryce Young, and veteran Kenny Pickett looks like the favorite to open the year as the team's primary backup. Still, Person writes that King "could be the short-yardage and goal-line answer" that Carolina has been searching for in recent years. An undrafted free agent signee out of Georgia Tech, King ran for 953 yards and 15 touchdowns on 185 carries across 12 games in his final collegiate season. He also shined in Carolina's first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, recording over 200 combined passing and rushing yards and totaling three touchdowns. While King is unlikely to see fantasy-relevant playing time in 2026, his dual-threat ability gives him some long-term fantasy appeal in deeper dynasty leagues.
Source: The Athletic - Joseph Person
Source: The Athletic - Joseph Person
Bryce Young Looks Solid in Joint Practice with Jaguars
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young had a strong showing in Wednesday's joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Young and second-year receiver Tetairoa McMillan were nearly automatic, making life difficult for the Jaguars' defense. Young has reportedly had a great camp as he enters a contract year in 2026. Despite never averaging more than 14 fantasy points per game in any season of his three-year career, Young led the Panthers to their first division title since 2015 last season and scored 31 points against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round. With McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, and now tight end Darren Waller forming a solid receiving corps, Young could be in line for his best fantasy season to date in 2026.
Source: Mike Kaye - ESPN
Source: Mike Kaye - ESPN
Haynes King Could Have Taysom Hill-Type Role
Carolina Panthers quarterback Haynes King could have a unique role in the offense once he returns from his hamstring injury. Adam Schefter said Monday that King is going to have a role this season and that it would not surprise him if Carolina used the undrafted rookie in a Taysom Hill-type capacity. The idea has been discussed before, with King saying during rookie minicamp that he would be willing to handle that kind of assignment if the Panthers asked him to. His athleticism certainly fits the concept after he rushed for 953 yards and 15 touchdowns at Georgia Tech last season. King also showed it during the Hall of Fame Game, throwing for 180 yards and two touchdowns while adding 39 rushing yards and the game-winning score against Arizona. He suffered a hamstring injury in that game and is considered week-to-week, so any experimentation with a specialty package will have to wait until he is healthy.
Source: Adam Schefter
Source: Adam Schefter
Bryce Young Will Play in Preseason Game Against Buffalo
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that the starters, including quarterback Bryce Young, will play in the team's preseason game this week against the Buffalo Bills, according to Panthers reporter Kassidy Hill. Young and the starters should get around 10 to 20 plays, depending on how the drives develop. The 25-year-old Young didn't take part in the team's Hall of Fame game last Thursday against the Arizona Cardinals, so he'll see his first preseason action this week. The former first overall pick in 2023 from the University of Alabama had the best year of his career in his third season in 2025, completing 63.6% of his pass attempts for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 16 regular-season starts while leading the team to the NFC South title. However, it's debatable as to how much higher a ceiling Young has, especially since he doesn't have a big arm or very exciting targets outside of receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Young appears to be trending towards being a solid NFL starting QB, but for fantasy purposes, he's more of a low-end QB2 target with a low ceiling.
Source: Kassidy Hill
Source: Kassidy Hill
Bryce Young Will Not Play in Hall of Fame Game
With the first action of the 2026 preseason slated for Thursday, August 6, when the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals meet for the Hall of Fame Game, participation and usage of teams' starters and depth players will soon become a major storyline, and the Panthers have already announced that quarterback Bryce Young will not see any action in the preseason opener. With head coach Dave Canales telling reporters that most of the team's starters will sit, veteran Kenny Pickett will draw the start. Young enters his fourth season with no long-term extension in place, making 2026 a critical proving year after three up-and-down seasons, and at RotoBaller's QB26, he is viewed as little more than an occasional streaming option in single-quarterback leagues.
Source: Steve Reed - AP News
Source: Steve Reed - AP News
Kenny Pickett to Start Hall of Fame Game Against Cardinals
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said on Monday that quarterback Kenny Pickett will start the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 6, against the Arizona Cardinals, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. No clear-cut starters will play in the game for the Panthers. Now that veteran Andy Dalton is no longer in Carolina, Pickett is the favorite to serve as Bryce Young's backup in 2026 in his first year with the team. The 28-year-old former 20th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 from the University of Pittsburgh is with his third different team in the last three years, having spent 2024 with the Philadelphia Eagles and 2025 with the Las Vegas Raiders. Pickett played in 11 games (three starts) the last two seasons and threw for only 479 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions with the Eagles and Raiders in a backup role. He will only become an option in the deepest of superflex leagues in 2026 if he's forced into the starting role if Young goes down with an injury.
Source: The Athletic - Joe Person
Source: The Athletic - Joe Person
Bryce Young Turning Heads at Panthers' Camp
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has gotten off to a strong start at training camp and has taken full command of the Panthers' offense. Young had his best practice of the summer during the Panthers' second padded practice last week, and there is a completely different feel at their camp this season. The former first overall pick led the Panthers to their first postseason appearance since 2017, totaling 3,011 passing yards and 23 touchdowns in 16 games last season. Young is entering a contract year and his third season under head coach Dave Canales as the Panthers look to take another step in 2026. While Young is currently outside the range to be drafted in single-quarterback leagues, he remains an option in Superflex or deeper leagues.
Source: Dean Jones - Cat Crave
Source: Dean Jones - Cat Crave
Bryce Young a Non-Factor in 2026 Single-QB Drafts
By fantasy finish alone, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has shown steady improvement in each of his three seasons, rising from QB23 as a rookie to QB20 in Year 2 and a QB19 finish last season. Obviously, his actual path has not been as linear, with a performance-based benching in 2024, and he now enters a critical fourth season. Young demonstrated some of the highest highs of his career in 2025, throwing for 448 yards and three scores in a Week 11 overtime win over the Falcons, but he also failed to reach 200 passing yards in 12 of 17 outings. With few notable additions on the offensive side of the ball and the Panthers slated to face a first-place schedule in 2026, much will be asked of Young as he looks to earn a long-term extension. And even if he proves capable of taking another small step forward, in a year with so many fantasy-viable options at the position, Young is not a player who should factor into draft plans in single-quarterback leagues. He enters the year as RotoBaller's QB26.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Bryce Young Could Have Sleeper Appeal in Two-Quarterback Leagues
Across 16 games in 2025, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 63.6% of his pass attempts for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. The 24-year-old also provided modest production with his legs, rushing for 216 yards and two scores on 54 attempts. While Young has made definite strides since his disastrous rookie season in 2023, he's yet to prove he can provide consistent top-12 fantasy production. At the same time, Young finished as the QB19 in 2025, putting him solidly in the QB2 range. There's also a chance that the Panthers operate with less of a run-heavy approach in 2026 after losing running back Rico Dowdle in free agency. Even if Young's development stagnates and his 2026 production mirrors his 2025 output, he should outperform his current redraft ADP of QB26. In superflex formats, Young may be a sneaky sleeper for fantasy managers to target.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
