What an unfortunate piece of information relayed by the Carolina Panthers Wednesday afternoon. The defending NFC South champions announced that star wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin will miss the entire 2015 regular season after suffering a torn ACL in non-contact drills during practice on Wednesday.
"Obviously, we feel awful for Kelvin," general manager Dave Gettleman said in announcing the injury. "He’s worked tremendously hard to put himself in a position to have a strong year. We’re confident he will attack his surgery and rehab with the same determination he has met all challenges before."
Benjamin, a first-round pick of the Panthers in 2014, exploded on to the scene as a rookie last year. He recorded 73 receptions for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. Taking over as Cam Newton's favorite target after the departure of Steve Smith, Benjamin was a huge factor in the team's run to the playoff last season. Entering his second year, Benjamin was expected to be an even larger part of the offense.
With Benjamin lost for the season, a ton of pressure was just put on rookie second-round pick Devin Funchess, who has reportedly done well during his first camp. Though, the loss of Benjamin is absolutely huge.
Fantasy Slant
Benjamin's ADP had him as a fifth-round pick prior to the injury. If you have already conducted your draft and added him around that area, it's a huge blow. The recommendation here has to be to get Funchess off the waiver-wire, if at all possible. Depending on how they perform during the remainder of camp, Jarrett Boykin and/or Philly Brown also become rosterable options. Though, the one player to really keep an eye on here has to be tight end Greg Olsen, who should now receive a ton of red-zone opportunities with Benjamin lost for the year.