Dynasty Capsule: Carolina Panthers

As part of the premium content package, we’re again unveiling dynasty capsules for every team in the NFL leading up to free agency and the NFL Draft. This year, we’re again going to do a follow-up on all the teams after all the free agency and NFL Draft movement to assess the impact of any players teams have gained or lost. Since these capsules are always done as a simple snapshot in time, we figured that was the best way to tackle the off-season and provide ultimate value for our subscribers. All in all, we’ll have close to 500 player profiles found in these capsules over the off-season.

The 2014 Carolina Panthers season, to quote Forrest Gump, was like a box of chocolates – you never knew what you were going to get. There was truly a little bit of everything, including a tie, a six-game losing streak and a four-game winning streak. There was also a struggling signal caller, a breakout rookie receiver and a resurgent, previously left-for-dead running back. Heck, there were even two wins from Derek Anderson, incidentally both over the division-rival Buccaneers. And have I mentioned the car crash yet? This all culminated in a surprising playoff appearance and subsequent wild card round victory, before Cam’s Commandos ultimately succumbed to Seattle one week later. Let’s assess the main characters of Carolina’s bizarre, wild ride.

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Quarterbacks

Cam Newton

Newton’s fourth season began inauspiciously as the mountainous signal caller missed the first game of the year due to off-season ankle surgery. When he returned in week two it was clear he wasn’t the same dual threat we’ve seen previously, as he only accrued 44 rushing yards across his first quartet of games. Things turned around briefly with a 100-yard performance in a tie versus Cincy, but again deteriorated in his seasonal lowlight, a nine-sack performance against a Philly defense that treated him like a wounded duck. Things turned around after the bye, however, as Newton tallied 246 of his 539 rushing yards (45.6%) in the season’s final four games, and added 72 more in the playoffs.

Unfortunately, his passing statistics simply weren’t up to snuff, and Newton’s completion percentage, YPA and TD:INT ratio all dropped off from 2013. Summed up, 2014 stood as the first season where he didn’t finish as a top-five fantasy signal caller, ultimately concluding the year as the overall QB16. Nevertheless, I believe much of his drop-off to be largely related to his injuries and suspect offensive line play, and as such don’t hesitate to rank him as my dynasty QB5 and tier-two signal caller.

Derek Anderson

Perhaps the most surprising aspect to Carolina’s roller coaster season was the downright competent, dare I say respectable, play under center by Anderson. Though the sample size was small, the former Cleveland folk hero managed to steer his team to two of their seven wins, including a late season clash versus Tampa that had direct playoff implications. With that said, he doesn’t deserve any real fantasy roster consideration, and I don’t have him ranked amongst my top-50 dynasty quarterbacks.

Running Backs

Jonathan Stewart

When I wrote my 2013 opus on Stewart, I was met with a great deal of (understandable) skepticism. And while J-Stew did precious little last season to validate my position, hidden within that piece was the following belief:

“Stewart likely won’t handle a full load in 2013, but better times lie ahead.  Williams is 30 years old and isn’t guaranteed money beyond this year.  The Panthers selected another ball carrier, Kenjon Barner, in the sixth round of this year’s draft, but he projects as more of a special teams player and potential third down back.  Stewart could have the majority of snaps to himself as soon as 2014.”

While roundabout in nature, this ultimately came to fruition with a late-season Williams injury, at which point Stewart simply took over. Following the bye and including playoffs, the mercurial ball carrier turned 128 carries into 679 yards (5.30 YPC; 97.0 yards per game) and two touchdowns, while chipping in an additional nine receptions for 59 yards and another score. All told that equated to 14.4 weekly PPR points, akin to RB14 numbers on the season. He was also Pro Football Focus’ second-most elusive ball carrier (behind only Marshawn Lynch), and Carolina was 4-0 in games where he received at least 20 carries.

I understand why many might remain unconvinced, but there are additional factors working in Stewart’s favor. With just over 1,200 career touches he’s a “young” 27, and more importantly recent rumors suggest Williams could be cut in a money-saving cap maneuver come June. Stewart is one of the most talented running backs in the league, and given a likely improving situation and increasing usage, I have no reticence ranking him as my dynasty RB17.

Fozzy Whittaker

Despite only handling the ball 37 times in 2014, Whittaker checked in as Carolina’s second most valuable fantasy running back due to his two scores. Though the sample size was small, he also had the second-best YPC average in the Panthers’ ball carrying corps. He showed well enough that I have him ranked as my dynasty RB89, and he should get a look as the team’s RB2 should they part ways with…

DeAngelo Williams

I’m not here to argue a player’s place in NFL history, but Williams could go down as one of the league’s more underrated producers. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen previously with aging running backs, when you start to fall off the cliff you’re not likely to climb your way back up. On the season D-Will averaged a mere 3.5 YPC, marking the first time in his career he was unable to eclipse the 4.0 YPC barrier. Perhaps more ominous were the 10 games he missed, rendering the veteran all but useless in the fantasy landscape. As mentioned above there have been rumors Carolina will part with arguably their best runner in team history as a post-June 1^st cut, which could potentially end his career. I currently have him ranked as my dynasty RB64, a number which would plummet should his time in Charlotte come to an end.

Mike Tolbert

Previously utilized as a short-yardage and goal line maven, Tolbert astonishingly didn’t record a single touchdown during the 2014 season, marking the first time since 2010 he didn’t have at least seven scores. Though he did miss half the season, he was only handling 6.1 touches per game when healthy, and with poor efficiency – the bottom line is if Newton and Stewart are playing well, he shouldn’t be on the field. I don’t have him ranked amongst my top-100 dynasty running backs.

Darrin Reaves

Reaves gained traction as a bit of a sleeper early on in the season, but was never able to capitalize. He was waived in late October.

Wide Receivers

*Waived by Carolina and signed by Kansas City in late November

Kelvin Benjamin

Though he didn’t exactly make fans forget about ex-Panther Steve Smith Sr., Benjamin had a fine rookie season, clearing 1,000 yards and recording nine touchdowns en route to a finish as the PPR WR15. With that said, the raw numbers belie a startling lack of efficiency as the big receiver was only able to corral exactly half of his 146 looks, resulting in a mediocre 6.90 yards-per-target. While he was capable of making jaw-dropping plays, his 12 drops also resulted in an 8.3% rate of committing unforced errors. Benjamin is young and has room to grow, but it’s also fair to wonder if his upside will be capped if the Panthers add another quality receiver to siphon away some of his targets. Given these concerns, I have Benjamin ranked as my dynasty WR21.

Jerricho Cotchery

As can be surmised from the above, apart from Benjamin no other Panthers receiver was able to make a fantasy impact. One year after securing 10 touchdowns in a Steelers uniform, the 32-year old was only able to secure a single score in 2014. In an ideal world Cotchery would be a team’s WR3 or WR4, not its WR2. He’s not ranked amongst my top-100 dynasty receivers.

Jason Avant

Avant was released by Carolina in November and subsequently reunited with Andy Reid and the Chiefs. He only recorded 201 yards in a Panthers uniform.

Philly Brown, Brenton Bersin and Stephen Hill

Brown functioned as the team’s slot receiver and showed a bit of dynamic, both catching and running the ball. He’s more than likely topped out as a WR3 on a run-first offense, however, and as such he’s ranked as my dynasty WR87. Bersin never had more than three catches in a game, and is more of a depth player than anything – he’s currently outside my top-100 receivers. Hill spent the year on the practice squad and didn’t record a stat in 2014. He’ll more than likely go down as a cautionary tale of why height/weight/speed doesn’t matter if you’re not actually good at football – he’s generously ranked as my dynasty WR100.

Tight Ends

Greg Olsen

Olsen was easily the team’s best pass catcher, securing 68.8% of his targets for just over 1,000 yards and six scores. This resulted in a finish as the PPR TE4, marking the third year in a row he’s finished as the PPR TE7 or better. Though he turns 30 in March, we’ve yet to see signs he’s slowing down, and he seems to be a lock for 100+ targets as long as Newton is at the helm. On the season Olsen had just five games with fewer than five receptions, making him arguably one of the most consistent players in dynasty. I find it odd that he’s “only” the sixth tight end off the board according to January’s ADP data, and therefore have him ranked as my dynasty TE3.

Ed Dickson

After flopping in Baltimore despite a massive opportunity following teammate Dennis Pitta’s injury, Dickson signed a one-year pact with Carolina. After securing just 10 receptions on the year, it’s no guarantee he’ll be brought back. He’s not worthy of a roster spot in a dynasty or re-draft setting.

Brandon Williams

Williams is a raw player who’s relatively old (27) despite his 2014 rookie status. Regardless, he checks in at 6’5” and 250 pounds and reportedly runs a 4.56-second 40-yard dash. He’s also signed cheaply for the next two years and could make for an intriguing stash as the team’s TE2. He’s not currently ranked amongst my top-50 dynasty tight ends, but is a name to monitor in deeper league formats.

Follow me on Twitter @EDH_27

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Eric Hardter

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

Eric is a Boston College chemistry grad school survivor with a minor in dynasty football. He prefers to utilize both statistics and sarcasm whenever possible, believes in process over results and thinks "Hot Takes" are the scourge of the fantasy landscape.

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