Five Biggest Questions:
1. Can Bryce Young take another step forward?
2. Will Chuba Hubbard rebound with Rico Dowdle gone?
3. Can Jonathon Brooks stay healthy?
4. Aside from Tetairoa McMillan, is any other WR draftable?
5. Will Ja'Tavion Sanders earn starter snaps and push toward relevance?
We shift from an ascending #1 overall QB draft pick (Fernando Mendoza) to a #1 whose career is teetering. Bryce Young enters Year 4 with his best supporting cast ever and little room for error. Carolina was less than a minute away from an impressive road upset in last year's playoffs. This could be a team on the rise. Much hinges on whether its formerly highly touted QB rises with them.
Despite taking a statistical step forward in 2025, Young was only the QB29 in points per game. One might argue that an unreliable #2 WR and limited trips to the red zone stymied Young's upside. 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette caught less than 55% of his targets, and when Young looked his way, it resulted in a measly 67.4 QB rating. By contrast, Tetairoa McMillan (83.2) and #3 WR Jalen Coker (117.8) showed better chemistry with their quarterback.
Meanwhile, the Panthers had the eighth-fewest red zone touchdowns on the eighth-fewest attempts. Some of that is due to an erratic passing attack that was only slightly better than the previous year's. For Young to exceed his steady QB26 ADP, he needs more help, and he needs to help himself. We'll know how things are looking after the first few weeks.
Aside from McMillan (WR20 ADP vs. WR16 last week), there are no obvious draftable receivers. It's notable that Coker (a stable WR55) is miles ahead of Legette (WR125 vs. WR131). While I agree (per above) that Coker has played better than his higher-priced teammate, that is an absurdly large gap. I can't get behind Coker as a late-round flyer because of his low ceiling, and while Legette should comfortably beat his ADP, he seems too risky to roster.
But we're missing one key addition: third-round rookie Chris Brazzell II. What a fantastic opportunity for the rookie to push past Legette and challenge Coker for the #2 job. I love that Brazzell's ADP last week was WR103. Now it's WR94. A strong camp could push him into the 70s and into draft conversations. Essentially, #'s 2, 3, and 4 on this depth chart are not yet set.
As for tight ends, I'm still waiting for Ja'Tavion Sanders (down one ADP spot this week to TE40) to break through. The 2024 fourth-round pick is only 23 years old and has developed terrific chemistry with Young. Since teams don't care about your fantasy roster, Tommy Tremble (unranked) might continue splitting snaps and targets. But if Sanders can ever get starter's snaps, he'd probably be a top-24 TE.
The backfield is a fantasy mess. Two years ago, Chuba Hubbard frequently carried this offense with a near-miraculous 250-1,195-10 rushing line. He fell back to earth last season, crashing across all obvious and less-obvious metrics. The most damning stat might be his broken-tackle rate, which was 1-per-17.9 rushing attempts in 2024 and 1-per-14.0 in 2023. But last season? Only one broken tackle on 134 carries. His RB28 ADP (vs. RB27 last week) is too bullish.
Who's the next man up if Hubbard falters? Or who might play a 1B role if Hubbard hangs on? Or who could win the starting job in camp? The answer to all three questions is Jonathon Brooks, a former second-round pick seeking to revive his career after two ACL tears. The first came in college. The Panthers knew what they were doing and still rolled the dice. When he tore the same ACL two months into his rookie campaign, Brooks went from fantasy relevant to future reclamation project.
Last week his ADP was RB42. Now it's RB35. The market's bullishness might say more about his competition than his health. If Hubbard is fading, then the only Trevor Etienne and A.J. Dillon would stand in Brooks' way. In other words, a healthy Brooks should easily outperform expectations. The question is whether he can stay on the field.
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