Panthers face Chiefs, Jonathon Brooks makes NFL debut
The Carolina Panthers are coming off their Week 11 Bye to face the Chiefs. Kansas City just fell to the Bills, marking the defending champs’ first loss of the season. The Panthers downed the Giants in their last game (Week 10), but the Panthers are scoring just 16.7 points per game on the season – the 4th lowest in the NFL. The Chiefs defense has allowed just 19.4 PPG to opposing offenses, eighth-fewest in the league, and the fifth-fewest yards (297.5).
Bryce Young, who is getting his fourth straight start, threw for 224 yards and two TDs versus a tough Broncos D in Week 8, but threw for 171 yards and 126 yards, respectively, in his last two starts – one pass TD in each. It’s a low-volume pass attack with Young at the helm. No Panthers pass catcher has earned more than eight targets in any of Young’s starts. Jalen Coker drew eight against the Giants, but caught only three. Coker is tied with Xavier Legette for the team lead in targets over the last three with 17.
We could see an uptick in the Carolina passing volume against a middle of the road Kansas City pass defense, as the Chiefs’ run defense is a top-five unit. Adam Thielen is back in the mix this week, which could water down the pass volume, but Thielen will likely ramp up to game action slowly after missing the team’s last seven games. The bottom line is without a touchdown, none of the Panthers’ WRs or TEs is worth much more than a Bye week spot start. Legette is the most likely to get in the end zone, having caught four TDs on 45 targets and 69.8-percent (No. 72) Route Participation.
Miles Sanders is out with a lower leg injury and Jonathon Brooks is slated to make his NFL debut this week. That said, Brooks will merely spell Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard has been getting bell cow work this season – No. 9 with 151.6 Weighted Opportunities. Temper expectations against a stingy Chiefs run D, however, that has not allowed a single running back to gain more 69 total yards in a game this season.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
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Fourth-year back gets bell cow usage and adds to impressive rushing season
Chuba Hubbard owned the Panthers’ backfield Sunday with Miles Sanders (knee/foot) playing only six snaps and Jonathon Brooks a healthy scratch. Hubbard ran the ball 28 times for 153 yards and a score versus the Giants in Munich. He is now No. 3 in the NFL with 818 rushing yards, trailing only Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley. With Sanders banged up and Brooks ramping up slowly, Hubbard is getting bell cow usage and careening toward league winner status.
With the Panthers leaning into the run game and not much resistance from the Giants on the other side of the ball, Bryce Young threw only 25 passes, his lowest pass attempt total on the season. Young is a last resort QB start. He does not add much on the ground, although he did add 30 yards on the ground Sunday on two rush attempts.
In a low volume passing attack, Jalen Coker was the target leader with eight, catching just three for 41 yards. Xavier Legette caught three of his four targets for 40 yards and Ja’Tavion Sanders had the lone receiving touchdown on one of his two targets. Sanders caught his other target, but went down on the one-yard line. Otherwise, he would have had a two-catch, two-touchdown day.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
Bryce Young gets third straight start coming off win vs. Saints
Dave Canales named Bryce Young starter for the Panthers’ Week 10 tilt versus the Giants in Germany. Young engineered a game-winning touchdown drive against the Saints in Week 9, but completed just 16 passes for 171 yards and one TD. Ja’Tavion Sanders led the team in receiving with four catches for 87 yards. Xavier Legette had the lone touchdown, leading the team with six targets and catching four of them for 33 yards. It’s a low-ceiling passing offense in Carolina, Legette being the lone touchdown threat. The Giants have a bottom-third pass defense, but the Panthers-Giants matchup has a low 40.5 game total, the Panthers a 17-point implied total.
Jonathon Brooks has been activated from IR and looks to take the field in Week 10. He will ramp up slowly, however, spelling Chuba Hubbard along with Miles Sanders. Hubbard has been the bell cow in Carolina, average 14.8 carries and 3.2 targets per game. He is No. 11 with 773 total yards among running backs on the season. The Giants’ defense is also bottom-third against the run. With the muted game environment, Hubbard is a high-end RB3.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
Bryce Young Named Starter As Panthers Put Young Weapons to the Test
The Panthers match up against division rival Saints in Week 9. It will be a battle of basement dwellers in the NFC South. The Panthers have struggled with consistency at QB. Bryce Young will be the Panthers’ starting QB for Week 9 while Andy Dalton continues to recover from a thumb injury.
Young went 24-for-37 passing in Week 8 versus a tough Broncos’ secondary. The second-year QB accounted for the Panthers’ two TDs passing, just the third time in his career throwing for multiple TDs in a game. The recipients of those touchdown passes were Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker. They will be the likely target leaders rest of season as they were in Week 8 (Legette 7, Coker 6). Don’t sleep on David Moore in deeper leagues. Moore quietly ran the most routes on the team and was the recipient of five targets. Temper expectations for the Carolina passing offense, however. Young has only thrown for more than 300 yards once in his career as starter.
Another storyline to watch is in the Panthers’ backfield. Jonathon Brooks is slated to make his debut soon as he comes off the ACL tear he suffered late in his final college season at Texas. The second round rookie is unlikely to be activated for Week 9, however, so Chuba Hubbard will continue to lead the Panthers backfield. Hubbard has been serviceable on decent volume. He is No. 9 with 111.6 Weighted Opportunities and No. 5 with 593 rush yards on the season. He has four rushing TDs, and faces a Saints D that ranks in the bottom quarter of the league stopping the run.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
Dave Canales sticking with veteran QB, no intent to trade Young
Amid what is shaping up to be a lost season, several Panthers players are rumored to be trade candidates, including second-year QB Bryce Young. Other Panthers players rumored to be trade targets are Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. The NFL’s trade deadline is just two weeks away – November 5th.
Dalton’s Week 7 was about as bad as it gets with the 14-year vet throwing just 11 completions for 93 yards and two interceptions, including one the Commanders returned for a TD. Bryce Young wasn’t much better in his starts, throwing for a combined 245 yards and three picks in two games this season. Canales benched Young earlier this season, opting for Dalton. Dalton got off to a hot start, but has taken steps back the last few weeks.
Young himself denied trade rumors, stating he is “grateful to be part of the Panthers.” For now, Canales said he is sticking with Dalton. But the Panthers head coach, who has been successful reviving the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, will likely give Young another shot if Dalton continues to struggle under center. The team would be selling low on their former No. 1 pick if they chose to trade Young now, and they owe it to themselves to give Young every shot to develop.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
Depending on how Andy Dalton does going forward will determine if Bryce Young will get another shot to start for the Panthers in 2024.
The Carolina Panthers have turned to 14-year veteran Andy Dalton as their starting quarterback. Dalton is 36 and is in no way a long term solution.
The Panthers have been outscored 73-13 in their 0-2 start. The dismal spiral for the Panthers started when David Tepper bought the team and it has progressively gotten worse for the franchise. Bryce Young’s poor play is even more painful for Panthers fans as C.J. Stroud has revived the Houston Texans.
In Dynasty, Bryce Young is not a buy low, however due to recent success had by Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Geno Smith there is some hope for Bryce Young in a new setting. Bryce Young can be had as a throw-in to a larger trade for Dynasty managers.
For superflex managers, Andy Dalton is the perfect ‘any quarterback on a 53’ player to have on your roster. Andy Dalton will provide a pocket of starts for quarterback needy teams while also presenting opportunities to liquidate by cashing in on either a rookie 3rd round pick and possibly a rookie 2nd round pick.
