2022 Team Previews: Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers Fantasy Preview 2022
All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.
** = target in drafts at this ADP
Top 120
Christian McCaffery, RB (ADP: 2): It hasn’t been uncommon to see McCaffery slip beyond the No. 2 pick regardless of format because of fears about his injury history. While no player in the NFL has a more ideal skill set for fantasy football, CMC has not delivered for fantasy managers in the last two years, and he’s flamed out after incredibly high ADPs. But he’s so good that despite playing just 10 games in the past two seasons, he’s still got an ADP of No. 2 overall. See, the thing is when CMC has been on the field the production is still electrifying. He began last year with two RB1 finishes without scoring a touchdown on the strength of a 187-yards from scrimmage performance vs. the Jets that included nine receptions, and a 137-yard performance against the Saints. McCaffery has never caught fewer than five passes per game, and was averaging 112.1 total yards per game in his seven games on the field. When he plays, CMC remains elite with a ceiling that’s close to untouchable by any other skill player in the game. Yes, he’s a big injury risk, but any RB is, so you may as well take the extreme upside along with the risk.
**D.J. Moore, WR (ADP: 38): Moore was likely a happy man this offseason when the Panthers traded for Baker Mayfield. Moore has spent his whole career in a QB abyss, and still delivered impressive production despite sub-optimal conditions. Since entering the NFL, Moore has caught passes from Cam Newton, Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen, Will Grier, Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker and Sam Darnold. Yuck! Mayfield is not one of the elite quarterbacks in football at this point in his career, but he’s far surpassed anything any of those other QBs have done in the NFL besides Newton, and he’s probably a better pure passer now than Newton was even in his MVP season. And despite that murderer’s row of passers, Moore has delivered 1,100+ yards in three consecutive seasons. The next phase of his evolution will be cracking the 100-reception mark and surpassing four touchdowns, which he has yet to do in his career. With Mayfield at the helm, these dreams should come true.
Fantasy Relevant (121-200 ADP)
Baker Mayfield, QB (ADP: 182): Is Mayfield good? There’s a lot that says yes, but also a lot that leaves us unsure. His best season was as a rookie, when he averaged 266 yards per game and threw 27 touchdowns against 14 picks. His yardage fell off a lot after that, and when he struggled with interceptions in Year 2, the Browns pivoted to one of football’s most run-dominated offenses. They did bring in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. to try to supply Mayfield with superior options, but they didn’t click and ultimately the RBs were all that were fantasy relevant in Cleveland. Still, we have seen Mayfield be an exciting fantasy option, and he’s in a new attack that should throw the ball more than Cleveland did.
Here are the big issues: Carolina had a bottom five pass blocking line last year per PFF, they have one reliable wide receiver, and their star dual threat RB has played 10 games in two years. Oh, and since that rookie year Mayfield hasn’t averaged more than 239 yards in any of the next three seasons and has seen his yards per game go down each year. Mayfield isn’t a QB I’d be looking for outside of SuperFlex or two-QB formats. He should be a useful streaming option though, and an overall positive for Moore and McCaffery.
D’Onta Foreman, RB (ADP: 188): The Panthers backup RB has had real value in fantasy the past two seasons, and Foreman is an upgrade on those players who have been useful. Foreman finally returned for real from his long-ago torn Achilles, filling in admirably for Derrick Henry and allowing Tennessee to keep their offensive scheme chugging effectively. He didn’t meet PFF’s required snap count to have an official rank, but his score (72.1) ranked him just inside the Top 24. He also earned a 76.6 receiving grade, which might be shocking to those who view him as a big bruising runner. He is that, but he has a well-rounded game that would allow Carolina to utilize him as a three-down back should CMC get hurt once again. Foreman wont’ have much value at all without an injury, but he’s probably a worthwhile handcuff to draft.
Sleeper Class (200 & later)
Robbie Anderson, WR (ADP: 221): Anderson is a bizarre cat. He’s changed his name this offseason, and now has to catch passes from a guy he openly was against the Panthers acquiring. He also sucked last season following a breakout 2020 season in which he broke 1,000 receiving yards for the first time. He was a PPR dream that year, and became a nightmare after his ADP rose and he responded with a 53-catch, 519-yard season. He caught 42 fewer passes and 577 fewer yards. Once considered a scary deep threat, he also averaged just 4.7 yards per target, a long way off his 7.4 yard average, while his ADOT was at 10.7 yards, continuing a trend of shorter targets since coming to Carolina. Yeah, there’s a chance that he trends upward again as a downfield receiver with Mayfield here, but he’s been around for four years now. The 1,096-yard season looks like an anomaly, and this ADP is properly reflecting who he’s been for the majority of his career.
Laviska Shenault Jr., WR (ADP: 285): Shenault has been cast off from Jacksonville, and he’s gone to a place where he could actually thrive. Shenault flashed Deebo Samuel-esque potential in 2020 as a rookie, but failed to build on the promise in any way during Jacksonville’s dumpster fire 2021. He put up nearly identical reception and yardage totals despite playing two additional games, and dropped from five touchdowns to zero. He didn’t see a big increase in playing time, and because he doesn’t bring a traditional receiver skill set to the table, he was a misfit for Urban Meyer. In Carolina, DJ Moore is around to be “the man” and Christian McCaffery is the engine of the whole thing. Shenault could be the second coming of Curtis Samuel for this offense, so at this ADP he’s a reasonable enough dart throw.
Terrace Marshall Jr., WR (ADP: 305): Marshall was a rookie I was very excited about in 2021, and…whoops! He did absolutely nothing, catching only 17 passes for 138 yards in 13 games. It’s never a great idea to completely throw a young player away or discard their potential, but WOW Marshall was genuinely atrocious per Reception Perception. He was below average in just about all of the routes he ran besides comebacks and flats. He ranked in the literal first percentile vs. man and press coverage, and was only slightly better as a zone beater, finishing in the fourth percentile. Mayfield providing superior QB play could help, but with results like this he’s not draftable in any format.