Is Bryce Young A Good Fit For The Panthers? Fantasy Football Outlook

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young went No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers in the 2023 NFL Draft after winning a Heisman and making an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2021.

Analysts raved over his anticipation and his ability to read the field and create plays. His skill set and his development under legendary coach Nick Saban was so impressive that teams were willing to overlook his short 5-10 stature and assess that he was too good to miss at any size.

Now that Young is a Carolina Panther, what is his fantasy outlook?

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Is Bryce Young a Good Fit with the Panthers?

Earlier this week, CBS's Jonathan Jones said, “The one thing I know pretty confidently—Bryce Young’s gonna be playing for the Carolina Panthers. Week 1 starter for the Carolina Panthers.” He's already been proven right about the first part of his prediction, which means he is most likely right about the second part of his prediction.

Andy Dalton and 2022 third-round pick Matt Corral are Young's only competition. Corral didn't play at all during his rookie season after injuring his foot. Dalton completed 66.7% of his pass attempts for 2,871 yards, 18 touchdowns, and nine interceptions with the New Orleans Saints. The Panthers are hoping for more from the No. 1 overall pick, especially after years of struggling with Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Teddy Bridgewater as their past three leading QBs.

Each of the past three quarterbacks to be drafted No. 1 overall--Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, and Kyler Murray--started Week 1 of their rookie seasons. The last No 1 overall QB to not start Week 1 was Baker Mayfield. He sat two games behind Tyrod Taylor before taking over in Week 3 and ended up finishing second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

The Panthers made some moves this offseason on offense. They signed Miles Sanders from the Philadelphia Eagles, who is probably an improvement over the departing D'Onta Foreman, and they signed long-time Vikings veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen while trading D.J. Moore to acquire the pick with which they drafted Young. 

Thielen has had a respectable career. He ranks No. 21 amongst active players in all-time receiving yards, and he surpassed 1,200 yards two consecutive seasons in his prime. But he's going to be 33 years old, and his production has been declining. He would make a fine WR2 and a good WR3, but he's the WR1 on a Panthers team that also has D.J. Chark, Terrace Marshall Jr., and Shi Smith. Bryce Young is in a tough situation in Carolina.

What is Bryce Young's Fantasy Outlook with the Panthers?

The Carolina Panthers averaged just 176.2 yards per game last season, the fourth-fewest in the league. They only threw the ball on 50.5% of their plays, the fifth-fewest.

One reason they threw the ball so infrequently was because they had terrible options at quarterback. They rotated through Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and P.J. Walker throughout the season. Their running backs, on the other hand, were pretty productive even after they traded Christian McCaffrey. They averaged the 14th-most rushing yards per attempt.

Bryce Young will most likely be an improvement over the No. 1 overall pick and No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Then again, that's what people thought of Mayfield and Darnold when they were drafted. Even the best quarterbacks have their ups and downs in their rookie years. Young comes into the league more NFL-ready than most, but it doesn't look good for him with the weak receiver core he's going to have to work with.

Young would be an exciting pick in any position up to 1.02 in dynasty drafts, but I'm not touching him in redraft.

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