Instant Analysis: DeAngelo Williams re-signs with Carolina

Ken Moody

deangelo

The most significant move of the offseason just occured as DeAngelo Williams has re-signed with Panthers for a reported five-year, $43 million contract with $21 million guaranteed.  This move has a major impact in dynasty leagues and in fantasy football in general.  There are several players whose dynasty values are changed by Williams staying a Panther.

DeAngelo Williams, RB CAR
You don’t pay a player this kind of money and not give him the lion’s share of carries.  Expect Williams to remain the 1A and Jonathan Stewart the 1B in the Panther offense.  While he’s likely never going to come close to his monster 2008 season where he amassed over 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns, but expecting 1,000 yards and 8-10 scores wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities.

Jonathan Stewart, RB CAR
Ugh.  Stewart owners were crossing their collective fingers and toes with the hope that Williams would bolt and the ultra-talented Stewart would finally get his crack at the starting job.  He’s not a free agent until 2013, so the wait is going to be substantially longer than anyone had hoped for.  On the bright side, he’ll still only be 26 at that point.

Stewart is relegated back to his “1B” status in the Panthers offense.  There’s virtually no chance that he gets more carries than Williams, barring a substantial injury.  If you own Stewart, you can expect him to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 carries in a good season with the hope he can get you 1,000 yards and a handful of scores.  He’s done it before, so that’s not a pipe dream.

In the end, this is not a good day for Stewart owners in dynasty leagues.

Mike Goodson, RB CAR
Those who have watched Goodson see a player with an enormous amount of talent.  Unfortunately, he’s going to need not one, but two injuries to see significant time again.  It’s too bad because he does have the talent to play in the league.  The arrow is pointing way down on Goodson this morning.

Tyrell Sutton, RB CAR
Much like Goodson, Sutton doesn’t lack talent.  They also share another common element – they’re buried on the depth chart.

Cam Newton, QB CAR
Newton has to be happy about this development.  Having Williams and Stewart both around to carry the offensive load will take a tremendous amount of pressure off him.  It certainly looks like new Coach Ron Rivera is setting the Panthers up to play good defense and pound the ball.  It’s a typical tough guy approach and one that should work well with a rookie quarterback.

Daniel Thomas, RB MIA
For the moment, Thomas owners are rejoicing.  Williams was said to be high on the Dolphins list, so having him go back to Carolina is a victory.  Unfortunately, the Dolphins are still taking a run at Ahmad Bradshaw.

Knowshon Moreno, RB DEN
Oddly enough, Moreno may be the biggest beneficiary of Williams staying in Carolina.  For months, the Broncos have been connected with Williams and it made sense with John Fox calling the shots.  After all, Fox is the only Coach that DeAngelo had ever played for.  When the dust settled, the price was just too high for Denver.

With the running backs left on the market, it’s most likely the Broncos find a complement to Moreno instead of a replacement.  Rumored names are Jason Snelling and Willis McGahee – neither would be much of a threat to be the primary runner for the Broncos.

ken moody