The Carolina Panthers don’t have the best team right now, but they still have some viable fantasy football pick options. With multiple talented veteran players, the Panthers have safe options to pick in the draft. They also have newer talents that are up and coming that could make for good picks. Who will be the guide to your fantasy team this season?
Panthers Fantasy Football Picks
Diontae Johnson
Although this will be his first season with the Panthers, Dionte Johnson remains a good fantasy option. After five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Johnson has become a top wide receiver target for fantasy managers. In each of these seasons with the Steelers, Johnson has recorded over 100 fantasy points.
In the 2023 season, Johnson averaged around 10 points per game, finishing the season over 120 fantasy points. Despite an injury, Johnson kept up his productivity, which could be seen in his yardage and his touchdowns. The Steelers played with three different quarterbacks throughout the season, switching from Kenny Pickett to Mitchell Trubisky to Mason Rudolph. Johnson remained a main target for each quarterback and excelled throughout the season once again.
With second-year quarterback Bryce Young heading the campaign again for the Panthers, the hopes are for a better second season. Young had a tough rookie season but will look to exploit Johnson’s strengths. Reports show that Johnson will be the number one receiver for the Panthers this season. If Young can step up in the 2024 season, Johnson will be a high-end wide receiver three option for fantasy managers.
Adam Thielen
The former Minnesota Vikings standout performed well in his first season with the Panthers. It was no surprise that Thielen had no competition for the number-one wide receiver spot. The Panthers needed a good receiver for their rookie quarterback to target. During his first 11 games, Thielen looked good, marking his spot as the 11th wide receiver in fantasy projections.
However, he couldn’t keep up these standards for the rest of the season. Dismal performances from Young and their offensive line made receptions hard to come by for Thielen. By the end of the season, he had recorded over 1,000 yards and over 100 receptions.
Thielen will have to compete with Johnson this season for the number one spot. Despite Johnson being the projected number one, Thielen already has a good rapport with Young, which still makes him a valuable target.
Chuba Hubbard
Hubbard was the Panthers’ leading running back in the 2023 season. He’ll likely be their leading rusher this season, with Jonathon Brooks out while he finishes recovering from his ACL injury.
Hubbard performed at a high level in his time as their number one. He spent time as a top-12 running back for two weeks in the 2023 season. While he didn’t have the best protection from their offensive line, Hubbard still made his mark in the last campaign. Hubbard rushed for over 900 yards and rushed for five touchdowns.
Going into the first few weeks of the season, Hubbard will be a good fantasy pick, even with a tough few opening games. Hubbard will hope that he’ll have the same success that Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White and Seattle Seahawks‘ Kenneth Walker III had while under Dave Canales. Hubbard will need touches in their remaining two preseason games against the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills.
Fantasy Expectations
With all that being said, fantasy managers might want to see how preseason plays out for each of these players. None of them featured in their first game, which was a 17-3 loss to the New England Patriots. Managers looking to draft Johnson and Thielen will want to see how both receivers play with Young, which might make them better options down the road. Hubbard will be their outright number-one until at least the second or third week of the season. However, fans of Hubbard may be disappointed after the first few games if Brooks comes back healthy and beats him out for that number-one spot.
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