Heading into the 2007 season, just about every national publication had the Carolina Panthers either making the playoffs or making a push for the Super Bowl. However, after a 4-2 start things headed south for the Panthers. Veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme was enjoying his quickest start to any season when he suffered a devastating injury that caused him to get Tommy John surgery in his throwing elbow. To make matters worse, the Panthers had to rely on the likes of David Carr, undrafted rookie Matt Moore and even brought Vinny Testaverde out of retirement to man the quarterback position. From there, the rest is history. The inconsistent play at the quarterback position caused defense’s to swarm the box and eliminate the Panthers rushing attack. DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams could only muster 7 rushing touchdowns on 391 carries and averaged just 99.6 yards per game on the ground. The defense was on the field most of the game, and after the 4-2 start, Carolina decided to go on a 5 game losing streak.
When it was all said and done, just about every member of the Panthers offense struggled and had little fantasy football impact in 2007. Even wide receiver Steve Smith had his lowest fantasy football point total since 2004, as he could manage just 140 fantasy football points in 15 games.
All of this misery led to a 7-9 finish for the Carolina Panthers, which once again has the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football staff classifying them as underachievers with 2008 on the horizon.
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Key Departures
DeShaun Foster (RB) — Calling Foster a key departure might be a stretch, but he has been the primary ball carrier in Carolina since 2005. However, Foster never has lived up to the hype out of college, and in 2007 he hit rock bottom, as he averaged a career low 3.5 yards per carry on 247 rushing attempts. With DeAngelo Williams picking up steam late in the ’07 season, the Panthers brass made Foster expandable and parted ways with the 5 year veteran.
Drew Carter (WR) — Believe it or not, Carter was more valuable to this team than people think. In 2007, he was second on the team in touchdowns (4 TD's) and receiving yards (517 receiving yards). Plus, in a two year stint, Carter hauled in 66 receptions to go along with 7 touchdowns. Outside of Smith, Carter has been the Panthers most reliable fantasy football wide receiver the past two seasons. During the off season, Carter signed a free-agent deal with the Oakland Raiders and he is competing with Ronald Curry for the starting job alongside Javon Walker.
David Carr (QB) — Now there is nothing key about the departure of Carr, in fact it was a blessing in disguise for all of the Panthers fans when they released him back in February. It’s just that us Bruno Boys like picking on Carr, and we wanted to make it aware to all of you that he managed to throw just three touchdowns in 136 passing attempts. It’s sad to admit, but Carr is right up there with the likes of Tim Couch and Jack Concannon as the worst quarterbacks drafted number one overall.
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Key Additions
D.J. Hackett (WR) — The signing of Hackett will help bolster a Panthers receiving corps which featured Steve Smith and little to nothing else in ‘07. Despite missing 10 games, because of a nagging ankle injury, Hackett scored a touchdown in three of the 6 games, and went over 100 receiving yards in two of those. His presence should alleviate some of the double teams Smith has seen in years passed.
Muhsin Muhammad (WR) — The best wide receiver ever to wear a Carolina Panthers uniform outside of Steve Smith is back. That’s right folks, the man we call “Moose” will once again be wearing the teal and black. Just this time he isn’t expected to carry the load, instead he will be used in the slot and act as a decoy for Smith and Hackett.
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2008 Bruno Boys Crystal Ball
Jake Delhomme (QB) — One could only imagine just how good of a season Delhomme would have had if he didn’t suffer a week 3 injury. In just 3 games, the gunslinger threw for 624 yards, 8 passing touchdowns to just 1 interception and had the Panthers offense clicking on all cylinders. In the off season, the Panthers brass did a good job of surrounding Delhomme with talented receivers, but his recovery from Tommy John surgery could hinder his throwing strength. Still, Delhomme can be considered a top 15 quarterback, and should be a reliable fantasy football option for your squad.
DeAngelo Williams (RB) — After the Panthers released Foster, it looked like Williams was going to be the top rusher in Carolina. However, the Panthers used their first round selection on Jonathan Stewart and Williams once again will be sharing the load in 2008. The speed and elusiveness is there, as evident by his 5.0 yard per carry average, but Williams lacks the size to be a bruising ball carrier around the goal line. Look for Williams to be used in a similar role in 2008, which is in between the 20-yard lines and limited around the red zone. At this point, the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football staff values him as a third and fourth running back in most leagues.
Steve Smith (WR) — All of the fantasy football owners out there who drafted Smith over the likes of Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne and Braylon Edwards are probably still kicking themselves as we speak. As we discussed earlier, outside of the first three weeks, Smith never got it going and finished with just 140 fantasy football points. However, 2008 is a new year and the Panthers have added some much needed weapons to take the load off of Smith. If Delhomme's arm holds up, the addition of Hackett and Muhammad should allow Smith to get free and regain his superstar form. Barring injury, it should be a safe bet to assume that Smith regains his consistency and once again be a top option at the wide receiver position in 2008.
D.J. Hackett (WR) — In just his 4th year in the NFL, the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football staff believes Hackett can become a solid WR2 or WR3 by seasons end. When looking at his intangibles, he has the ability to beat his defender over the top, as well as catch the ball in traffic. With the Panthers planning to line Hackett up on the other side of Steve Smith, he should be able to pick apart second rate corner backs and probably won't be seeing much safety side help. This should allow Hackett to pick on single coverage, and there is no reason why Hackett can’t haul in 70+ receptions for your fantasy football team.
Muhsin Muhammad (WR) — Most of the information about Muhammad can be read above, but to considering him fantasy football worthy is a stretch. He caught just 12 touchdown passes during his three year stint in Chicago, and his receptions have decreased every year since 2004. With teams having to focus on Smith and Hackett, Muhammad might enjoy a quality game from time to time, but in all reality his days in the NFL are coming to an end.
Jeff King (TE) — If anything good came out of the Panthers 2007 season, it was the emergence of Jeff King. The third year tight end out of Virginia Tech finished with 46 receptions for 406 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had at least one fantasy football point in all but two games, which can't be said for the majority of tight ends around the league. Lastly, with all of the weapons in Carolina, don't expect much of an increase in production from King. His receptions should stay around the same, but he still is a second tight end at best in all leagues.
John Kasay (K) — Kasay is the lone player since the franchise joined the NFL in 1995 to still be part of the team. The southpaw kicker is entering his 17th season and still has one of the most powerful legs in the NFL. Despite being part of arguably the leagues worst offense, Kasay still connected on 24 of 28 field goals and finished with 109 fantasy football points. Over the past three seasons, Kasay has averaged 14 field goals of 40+ yards and with the Panthers improved offense he should have no problem matching those numbers. The Bruno Boys Fantasy Football staff suggests targeting Kasay as your 2nd kicker or a bye week fill-in.
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Rookies to Watch
Jonathan Stewart (RB) — Once the Panthers decided to cut ties with DeShaun Foster it was quite evident that they had plans of drafting a running back to play alongside DeAngelo Williams in Carolina. The Panthers did just that, as they drafted University of Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart with the 13th overall pick. What the Panthers front office liked about Stewart is that despite being 235 pounds, Stewart has the versatility and speed to make defenders miss. Plus, he has the strength to run over defenders like a MAC truck. These days NFL scouts consider Stewart your prototypical NFL running back and if he can recover from a nagging toe injury, he very well could be one of the top rookie rushers in 2008. It should be interesting to see how head coach John Fox distributes the football between Stewart and Williams, but it would be safe to predict Stewart gets most of the carries around the goal line. By the end of the 2008 season, the Bruno Boys staff projects Stewart to be a low end RB2 or a top tier RB3.
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Other Team Capsules
NFC WEST - ARI I STL I SF I SEA
NFC SOUTH - ATL I CAR I NO I TB
NFC NORTH - CHI I DET I GB I MIN
NFC EAST - DAL I NYG I PHI I WAS
AFC WEST - DEN I KC I OAK I SD
AFC SOUTH - HOU I IND I JAX I TEN
AFC NORTH - BAL I CIN I CLE I PIT
AFC EAST - BUF I MIA I NE I NYJ