Carolina

Panthers

Sanders got the start with Tommy Tremble out for this game and easily played more snaps than backup tight end Jordan Matthews. He simply couldn’t command targets with four Carolina receivers seeing at least four looks. Given the dismal state of the Panthers’ passing attack, Sanders isn’t on the fantasy radar heading into Week 2.

Thielen’s 49 receiving yards inexplicably led the Panthers. However, he ranked fourth on the team in targets with a 13 percent target share. That number was at 26 percent in 2023. The one-two punch of Thielen’s target share taking a dive and Young seemingly making no progress from his disastrous rookie season will likely remove Thielen from the fantasy menu. Fantasy managers should keep him on the bench for Carolina’s Week 2 matchup with the Chargers.

Johnson was the intended target of Bryce Young’s first throw of the day, but it was an errant pass that sailed over his head for an easy Saints interception. That play foreshadowed the rest of Young’s nightmare performance along with the team’s offensive struggles as a whole. Johnson ranked second on the team in targets and was often open for an easy completion, but Young simply couldn’t get the ball out on time or on target. Fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach with Johnson. Despite his potential to dominate the targets in Carolina, it won’t matter if Young can’t deliver the ball to him. Johnson will top out as a WR4 in the early Week 2 rankings.

Legette didn’t play a full-time role in his first career game but was on the field plenty and even led the Panthers in targets. The bulk of his looks came late in this game including a few deep shots that Bryce Young failed to connect on. Legette should see his playing time increase as he gets more comfortable in the offense, but it’s hard to see how he can put together usable fantasy weeks as Young’s deep threat. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere until Young turns things around or is benched.

Mingo “added” one carry for three yards that ended in a fumble. He nearly had a second fumble later in the game but he was narrowly ruled down before coughing up the ball upon review. Mingo split the WR3 role with Xavier Legette in this game. Given Mingo’s ball security issues and the team’s investment in Legette, it’s safe to assume the rookie will encroach on Mingo’s role over the course of the season. He is not on the fantasy radar for Week 2.

Sanders split the backfield with Chuba Hubbard in Week 1. Hubbard saw six carries but wasn’t targeted. Sanders didn’t catch either of his two targets. Even as the 1B option in this backfield, Sanders isn’t likely to put together many fantasy-relevant performances before Jonathon Brooks comes off the PUP list.

The Panthers got annihilated by the Saints with a final score of 47-10, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see Hubbard with such a poor game. The bigger issue for him was his split with Miles Sanders. Hubbard easily passed Sanders on the depth chart last year but the two appear to be in a true committee now. Sanders earned five carries and was targeted twice. Hubbard was not targeted once. Though it’s fair to assume not every Panthers game will be this atrocious, they are shaping up to be one of the league’s worst offenses once again. Now in a timeshare with Sanders, Hubbard will struggle to post even RB3 numbers going forward.

The Panthers did everything they could in the offseason to support Young after a disastrous rookie campaign. They spent big on interior linemen, added multiple pass-catchers, and inked offensive guru Dave Canales as their next head coach. Despite their massive investments to improve Young’s situation, they got the same player we saw in 2023 in this game. Young opened the festivities by sailing a pass over Diontae Johnson’s head for an interception on the first play of the season. Things would spiral downward from there as he took four sacks, missed a number of easy throws, and threw a second interception over the course of the game. Young struggled to diagnose pressure, compounding his inability to throw under pressure. He punched in a short rushing touchdown in garbage time, though that too almost went haywire as he fumbled the ball just after breaking the plane to enter the end zone. Andy Dalton took over for the final drive, and given Young’s complete lack of improvement, this doesn’t feel like the last time we’ll be writing about Dalton getting snaps. He is not on the fantasy radar heading into his Week 2 matchup with the Chargers.

Swinson was signed off the Packers’ practice squad earlier this week but hasn’t had enough time to get up to speed in Carolina. With Tremble out and Ian Thomas on injured reserve, the Panthers are down to just Ja’Tavion Sanders and Jordan Matthews at tight end. Sanders will draw the start and has some TE2 juice to open the year.

The team did designate him for return, meaning the veteran tight end will miss the next four games, at minimum. Carolina’s tight end stable is wide open at present, with Tommy Tremble ruled out and a pair of rookies and converted wide receiver Jordan Matthews left standing on the active roster for Week 1. Either way, expect the offense to flow through recent addition Diontae Johnson and running back Chuba Hubbard against the Saints.