The 2024 season for the Carolina Panthers had its ups and downs, but for fantasy football, there were more ups, of course. From Chuba Hubbard’s surprise season to a late-season surge by Adam Thielen, the Panthers did have some players you could rely on. However, in real life, this only equated to a 5-12 record, which left them at third in the division. With Jonathon Brooks re-injuring his knee, the future seems even more cloudy, but if Young can play with the confidence he had after being benched next year, you could see the Panthers produce a couple more wins.
QB:
Bryce Young
After a horrible start, the ”Red Rocket” Andy Dalton eventually stepped in for Bryce Young, who looked completely lost out there. Eventually, Bryce got himself together and ended the season on a strong note. Over the final three weeks of the season Young had a quarterback rating of over 100 in which he threw for seven touchdowns with no interceptions.
RB:
Chuba Hubbard
While Chuba Hubbard was having a career year for the Panthers, he and the organization finally agreed on a contract for four years for a maximum value of 37.2 million. This ended up being a great move for both parties since Jonathon Brooks eventually was injured again. This helped give the Panthers some solidity at running back for now until Brooks returns. However, Hubbard’s 1,195 rushing yards, 43 receptions, 171 receiving yards, and 11 total touchdowns was phenomenal. Look for more of that next season, with no clear competition in Carolina for the upcoming 2025 season.
WRs:
With all of the youth on the Panthers’ roster, one thing remained the same and that is Adam Thielen. Even after missing seven games, Thielen still finished the year with 48 receptions, 615 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. The rest of the wide receivers on the roster couldn’t come close to those stats other than rookie Xavier Legette, who only played in 11 games while starting four. Going forward, you can count on Thielen to be consistent as always, no matter if he is still on the Panthers roster or not.
Defense:
Josey Jewell
There were a few ways I could have gone with the defense, but since they were historically bad, I decided to talk about the one player who is the heart and soul of the defense. Josey Jewell did miss five games, but he still recorded 97 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one interception. If the Panthers’ defense can stay healthy, they should easily eclipse last year’s futility.
Coaching:
Dave Canales
After signing Dave Canales last January to a six-year contract, the Panthers finally took a step in the right direction. Canales quickly became a team favorite with the players accepting him and his system. Canales gave his players an amazing speech at the end of the season, thus solidifying his relationship with the Panthers organization and its players. Going forward, this team has no superstar players and should address that through free agency or the draft if they’re trying to build a winning organization, unlike the Browns.