Overall Fantsy Impact: Above Average
Offensive Outlook: No team in the NFL has better potential to turn it around offensively this year than Carolina.
After an awful showing in ‘07, the Panthers drafted Jonathan Stewart in the first round to boost their running game, then added receivers D.J. Hackett and Mushin Muhammad to take pressure off Steve Smith.
But the biggest addition will be the return to health of Jake Delhomme, who missed the season’s final 13 games last year. With Delhomme behind center, the Panthers might just go from punchless to powerful.
QUARTERBACKS: The really devastating part of Delhomme’s shoulder injury last year was that it came after he had gotten off to a blistering start with 8 TD passes in the first three games. He’s been good for an average of about 3,500 yards and 24 TDs since becoming the Panther starter, which are solid fantasy numbers. With so many weapons at his disposal and some weak NFC South defenses (save Tampa Bay) to face, the possibility is there for Delhomme to have a career year and vault into the Top 5 Fantasy QBs.
Matt Moore got valuable experience as a rookie last year and played well in leading the Panthers to wins in 2 of their last 3 games. He’d be a possible free agent pickup if Delhomme went down again.
RUNNING BACKS: Any hopes that DeAngelo Williams might have had of becoming the undisputed No.1 running back were doused with the drafting of Stewart. Williams struggled in the middle of last season when teams stopped respecting the Panther passing game, but he had a big game in the season finale (121 yards and 2 TDs) and managed 717 yards and 4 TDs for the year while splitting time.
Still, it’s hard to imagine the Panthers leaving Stewart on the bench too long. He had durability problems in college, so a job-sharing situation might be the most beneficial early on. But Stewart seems like the guy more suited to take the bulk of the carries, and seems like the better Fantasy choice over the course of the entire season. If he should win the job outright in camp, then make him a No. 2 fantasy back in Round 3 or 4.
WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT ENDS: Smith might be primed for numbers akin to his 2005 peak (1,563 yards and 12 TDs) now that Delhomme is back. In the first two games with Delhomme, Smith racked up 271 yards and 4 scores. After that, with David Carr struggling, Smith’s numbers plummeted and he barely topped 1,000 yards. If some owners in your league are deceived by Smith’s stats from last year, make sure to take advantage of it, because he should put up superstar numbers in ‘08.
Hackett could approach the 1,000-yard barrier as well if he can stay on the field. He was hurt for much of the first half in Seattle last year, came on for 336 yards and 3 TDs in a 4-game stretch upon his return, got hurt again, returned for a huge playoff game against Washington, and then got hurt again. Be cautious here, but if you can get him as your third receiver, Hackett might pay big dividends.
Muhammad’s last season in Carolina (2004) saw him explode for 16 TDs, a total he wasn’t able to match in three subsequent years in Chicago. Blame most of it on Chicago’s poor passing attack and some of it on Muhammad’s age (35 now). As a third receiver, he shouldn’t get more than 500 yards and 4 or 5 TDs, numbers which really can’t help you too much. The addition of the veterans destroys the fantasy value of second-year player Dwayne Jarrett for the time being.
Jeff King had some big moments (including 10 catches in a loss to New England) in his first year starting at tight end. With all of the firepower at receiver though, King will be hard-pressed to improve upon the 46 catches he had a year ago.