by Robb Perkins
Transactions
Current FA's: None
Gains: None
Losses: Nick Goings (RB), D.J. Hackett (WR), Nehemiah Broughton (FB), Mark Jones (WR)
Fantasy Offense Draft Picks:
4th Rd-Mike Goodson (RB) Texas A&M
4th Rd-Tony Fiammetta (FB) Syracuse
Depth Chart: (updated 7/5/09)
QB-Jake Delhomme, Josh McCown, Matt Moore, Hunter Cantwell (rc)
RB-DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Mike Goodson (rc), Decori Birmingham,
Jamall Lee (rc)
FB-Brad Hoover, Tony Fiammetta (rc)
WR1-Mushin Muhammad, Dwayne Jarrett, Kenneth Moore, Jason Chery (rc)
WR2-Steve Smith, Ryne Robinson, Kevin McMahan, Jason Carter, Marcus Monk,
Larry Beavers (rc)
TE-Jeff King, Dante Rosario, Gary Barnidge, Kevin Brock (rc)
K-John Kasay, Rhys Lloyd
Notes: The following players have been placed on IR-
Practice Squad-
2009 Weekly Schedule (all times EST)
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Sept. 13
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Philadelphia
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1:00
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Sept. 20
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at Atlanta
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1:00
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Sept. 28
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at Dallas
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8:30
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Oct. 4
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BYE
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Oct. 11
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Washington
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1:00
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Oct. 18
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at Tampa Bay
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1:00
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Oct. 25
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Buffalo
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4:05
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Nov. 1
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at Arizona
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5:15
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Nov. 8
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at New Orleans
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4:05
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Nov. 15
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Atlanta
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1:00
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Nov. 19
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Miami
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8:20
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Nov. 29
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at NY Jets
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1:00
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Dec. 6
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Tampa Bay
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1:00
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Dec. 13
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at New England
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1:00
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Dec. 20
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Minnesota
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8:20
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Dec. 27
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at NY Giants
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1:00
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Jan. 3
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New Orleans
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1:00
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Strength of Schedule Rankings:
Team schedule (based on '08 records)-2nd (151-104)
Passing-7th-207.7 yards allowed per game
Rushing-1st-107.7 yards allowed per game
2008 Target Percentages: (See Insider Central for detailed week by week)
| 2008 Carolina Panthers Percentages |
| Total Passes |
414 |
45% |
|
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| Total Rushes |
504 |
55% |
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| Total Plays |
918 |
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Target |
% |
|
Rec |
Yrds |
TD |
| Steve Smith |
128 |
31% |
|
78 |
1417 |
6 |
| Muhsin Muhammad |
108 |
26% |
|
65 |
923 |
5 |
| Jeff King |
33 |
8% |
|
21 |
195 |
1 |
| Dante Rosario |
31 |
7% |
|
18 |
209 |
1 |
| DeAngelo Williams |
30 |
7% |
|
22 |
121 |
2 |
| D.J. Hackett |
28 |
7% |
|
13 |
181 |
0 |
| Dwayne Jarrett |
19 |
5% |
|
10 |
119 |
0 |
| Jonathan Stewart |
17 |
4% |
|
8 |
47 |
0 |
| Brad Hoover |
11 |
3% |
|
6 |
39 |
0 |
| Nick Goings |
3 |
1% |
|
3 |
1 |
0 |
| Mark Jones |
3 |
1% |
|
2 |
32 |
0 |
| Thrown Away |
2 |
0% |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Gary Barnidge |
1 |
0% |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
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| Totals |
414 |
100% |
|
246 |
3284 |
15 |
News and notes:
Much like the Falcons, the Panthers are set on the depth chart and did nothing in the off-season. Jake Delhomme is the clear number one but he is nothing more than a lower number two fantasy option at this point.
The Panthers will once again be a run first team with not one but two strong fantasy options. DeAngelo Williams put up amazing numbers last season that will be difficult to match but he should still be considered a number one fantasy option. Jonathan Stewart will get his share of carries and remains much more than just a handcuff option that should be considered a possible number two option.
Steve smith remains the Panthers go-to-guy and he should be considered a number one fantasy starter. Mushin Muhammad is old but appears to be the front-runner again this season to be the Panthers second receiver - his fantasy value is limited at this point of his career. Ryne Robinson and underachiever Dwayne Jarrett will battle for the third receiver role with Jarrett likely win the job; if he could get it together he could be a nice sleeper. His upside is much better than Robinson’s or Muhammad’s.
The Panthers have three average tight ends in Jeff King, Dante Rosario, and Gary Barnidge. None of them has any real fantasy value but if I were forced to choose, I would take Rosario.
The Panthers are a three-man fantasy team with only Williams, Stewart, and Smith having any real value at this point.
A case can also be made from John Kasasy but I am not in the mood to take about kickers right now and I doubt you're in the mood to read about 'em!
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I.D.P. & DEFENSIVE NOTES
by Jon Rascon
Base defense: 4-3
2008 Fantasy leaders:
Tackles: Jon Beason (138), Thomas Davis (113), Chris Gamble (93)
Sacks: Peppers (14.5), Charles Johnson (6), Tyler Brayton (4.5)
Interceptions: Beason and Gamble (3), Ken Lucas (2)
Ascending: Everette Brown. Not right away, but could contribute over second half of season.
Descending: Julius Peppers. Will he stay motivated this year? Little value and high risk draft day.
Notes:
Let’s start with the linebackers. Jon Beason leads this productive unit. Last year Beason notched 138 combined tackles and picked off three passes for good measure. Beason is truly one of the elite linebackers in the game right now. Thomas Davis will flank Beason on the weak side, and last year Davis posted a career high with 113 tackles. Obviously given a choice, Beason is the pick, but Davis may present tremendous value as a late round pick. Right now Na’il Diggs holds down the other spot, but likely won’t have a fantasy impact. There are whispers that Dan Connor could challenge for playing time, but it remains to be seen how effective he’ll be in coverage one year removed from an ACL injury.
Julius Peppers had a solid season in 2008, with 51 combined tackles to go with his career high 14.5 sacks. Peppers is a solid fantasy option in 2009. The Panthers did draft Peppers’ heir apparent, Everette Brown, with their top selection, and early reports are promising on the undersized rookie. However, don’t count on Brown to be a fantasy force yet as he works on his technique this year. The other end position will be a battle between Tyler Brayton and Charles Johnson. Of the two, Charles Johnson possesses the higher upside, but only as a post-draft waiver wire pickup.
The defensive backs are led by Chris Gamble, a cornerback who is getting better with every year. Which means last year’s 93 tackles may be an exception and not the rule. Richard Marshall should be in line for a nice bump in stats this year as the other starting cornerback. Marshall had 75 combined tackles last year as the nickel cornerback, and should be good for at least that amount this year. At safety, both Charles Godfrey and Chris Harris are viable options in a pinch. If you are looking for upside, Godfrey is your man, but again, wait on both of these guys until the last couple rounds or even post-draft.
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PRELIMINARY (VERY) O-LINE ANALYSIS
by Chris Graley
The Panthers line finally stayed healthy and boy did it show. They were one of the best o-lines last year. Depth is still an issue if injury strikes again though. LT Jordan Gross played the spot like he's been there all his life and has a huge contract to show for it. Travelle Wharton played much better at LG than he ever played at tackle. C Ryan Kalil is small, but smart. He has good technique as well. The right side of this line is much better in the running game than the passing game but they held their own last year. RG Keydrick Vincent makes mental mistakes and RT Otah still needs to work on technique and body position.
Position-by-position grades with pass/run blocking unit rankings coming in July.
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PLAYERS TO WATCH/AVOID (at his A.D.P)
by Stan Feldman
Undervalued: WR Steve Smith. Smith remains one of the game’s elite receivers; he led the league in receiving yards per game in 2008 and finished No. 6 in FFP despite missing the season’s first two games. At his current ADP, the end of the second or early third round, Smith, like fellow receivers Greg Jennings and Anquan Boldin, represents greater value than receivers taken at the turn of the first round. Though the Panthers remain unsettled with quarterback Jake Delhomme, there isn’t much of a contingency plan in Carolina, and the value of the chemistry that the pair have developed over the years can not be understated.
Overvalued: RB DeAngelo Williams. The run of tailbacks that opens the first round of every fantasy draft is generally reserved for the few rushers who stand to see the least amount of challenge for carries, yet Williams currently sits as the seventh player taken in the average draft. Williams had a tremendous 2008 season, but young running back Jonathan Stewart will see his workload increase significantly this season; a 50/50 carry split would not be a surprise. Granted, the seventh spot is always a sticky place to be drafting, but if a running back is the target, then Houston’s Steve Slaton seems like a more attractive option.
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PANTHERS BURNING QUESTION
by Rick Perkins
Q: DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart split the backfield duties 60/40 last year. Can more of the same be expected this year?
A: In a word...yes. I'm not looking for the Panthers to go fixing what ain't broke on offense. I must say, I feel rather vindicated looking back on DeAngleo's monster campaign. For anyone wiling to listen his first two year's in the league, I kept saying we hadn't seen the former first round pick's "real game" yet. Willams finally played 16 games and put fantasy owners on his back to the tune of 1,515 yds on 5.5 yds per and 18 touchdowns.
It's looking early on like Carolina hit a homerun with Jonathan Stewart to boot. Our #1 rated rookie RB (dynasty) in last year's DraftKit has looked every bit the part of a future top 5 stud. An inch taller and 18 lbs thicker than DeAngelo, everything about his frame and style of running screams "I got next". One small chink in the armor - the 47% reception rate on extremely limited looks (17) is downright poor for a RB. Something to file away for the dynasty crowd.
In current mocks, DeAngleo is being selected 9th overall and Stewart is off the board at #63 (27th RB overall). I think Stewart is presenting exceptional value at that spot. Like I said, Carolina won't be tinkering with a backfield blend that worked to perfection last year. That 40% is Stewart's floor and if Williams get dinked up (at all) look the f*** out!
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