2015 Review
It was Cam Newton and everyone else for the Carolina Panthers last season. The reigning NFL MVP absolutely dominated the stat sheet in 2015, putting up 4,473 total yards with 45 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. This enabled him to finish as the top fantasy quarterback by a wide margin. What's so amazing here is how he performed at this level with a mediocre receiver group, especially considering 2014 breakout star Kelvin Benjamin was sidelined for the year with a torn ACL.
All said, Carolina finished the regular season with a 15-1 mark en route to earning the franchise's second conference title. Here's what to look for from the Panthers from a fantasy perspective in 2016.
Quarterback: Cam Newton
Not only did Newton finish as the top fantasy quarterback last season, he dominated the competition. The MVP put up an average of three points more per game than the second-best fantasy player, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. He also finished first in consistency, tallying 15-plus points in 88 percent of his starts.
There's absolutely no reason to believe that this is going to change in 2016. First off, Newton gets former first-round pick Kelvin Benjamin back in the mix after he missed all of last season. Remember, Newton completed 73 passes for over 1,000 yards to Benjamin in 2014. Add in Greg Olsen's consistent presence at tight end, and there's a whole heck of a lot to like here.
Newton's ADP currently has him as the first quarterback off the board towards the end of the second round. That's exactly where he should be, a full two rounds higher than any other quarterback in the NFL. This is how much Cam has separated himself from the pack.
Running Back: Jonathan Stewart, Cameron Artis-Payne
There's not a whole lot to like about this unit. Stewart has failed to put up 1,000-plus rushing yards in each of the past six seasons. Though, he is coming off his best statistical performance since the 2009 season. Even then, Stewart finished with 989 yards en route to tallying the 19th-most fantasy points among running backs. In reality, the upside just isn't there.
With an ADP that currently has him as the 20th running back off the board, we'd definitely recommend you avoid Stewart in preseason drafts. The likes of Ryan Mathews, Matt Jones and Melvin Gordon are all behind Stewart in ADP and represent considerably more upside.
Artis-Payne might not be an option in 12-team leagues, but those drafting in extended formats might want to take a late-round chance on him. First off, Stewart has missed a quarter of Carolina's games over the past four seasons. The former Auburn standout averaged 4.1 yards per attempt in just 45 carries as a rookie last season. Though, he's expected to take on a much larger role this year.
Wide Receiver: Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn
After finishing the 2014 campaign as the 16th-best fantasy receiver, Benjamin missed his entire sophomore season with a torn ACL. Now fully recovered, he's expected to take over as Newton's favorite target in the passing game. If so, the ceiling is really the limit here. A huge red-zone target, Benjamin should surpass the nine touchdowns he scored as a rookie.
More than that, his 51 percent catch rate in 2014 was much lower than most would expect from a big-bodies receiver. With Newton's improved accuracy and Benjamin's huge catch radius, the expectation here has to be that he'll put up more than the 74 receptions he tallied in 2014.
If healthy, Benjamin's floor is as a mid-tier WR2 option in 2016. With a ceiling that makes him a potential top-five performer, the receiver's current ADP in the fourth round could make him an absolute steal.
With Benjamin's return, it's more than likely that either Funchess or Ginn will take a major step back in 2016. Our money is on Ginn being the guy most impacts by the return of Newton's favorite target. Here's a guy that finished as a mid-tier FLEX option after recording 44 receptions for 739 yards and 10 touchdowns — all numbers that acted as outliers from previous seasons.
Nearly a quarter of Ginn's catches went for touchdowns. Meanwhile, he caught less than half of the 97 passes thrown in his direction. That might be the only number that's sustainable moving forward. In reality, Ginn isn't even worthy of a roster spot in 12-team leagues.
However, we do like what Funchess might be able to bring to the table as a rookie. He caught 31 passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns last season. Expected to be the team's No. 2 receiver behind Benjamin, look for these numbers to increase a great deal in 2016. Funchess is worth a late-round add as a deep bench option in 12 teams.
Tight End: Greg Olsen
Talk about consistency. Olsen has finished as a TE1 in each of the past four seasons. He's coming off a 2015 campaign that saw him finish with the fifth-most fantasy points among tight ends. He also ranked fourth among tight ends in fantasy consistency. While Benjamin's return could impact the number of targets Olsen receives, he's still a top-five fantasy tight end.