Andy Dalton is Major Fantasy Football Upgrade for Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen

A look at what Bryce Young's benching means for Andy Dalton, Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen in fantasy football.

Sep 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (5) takes the field during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

In a surprise move on Monday, the Carolina Panthers benched former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and announced that veteran Andy Dalton will start this week against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Although coach Dave Canales has repeatedly said "Bryce is our quarterback," it seems the Panthers don't want any more of the season to slip away.

That has major fantasy football implications for Panthers wide receivers Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson, as well as for Dalton himself.

Andy Dalton Fantasy Outlook

For those in superflex leagues who are working without Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love, Andy Dalton becomes an immediate target as a streaming option until they return.

Dalton's best days may be behind him, but he should still be an improvement over the sophomore signal-caller. Young has a 55.4% completion rate this season (31st behind Caleb Wiliams) and a 44.1 passer rating (35th). In his two starts he has 245 passing yards, no passing touchdowns and three interceptions.

Just 57.1% of Young's passes this season have been deemed catchable, per SportRadar. 

Andy Dalton has a 68% catchable pass rate and a 62.5% completion rate in his career. He also has a career 4.5% passing touchdown rate and has the sixth-most passing touchdowns among active players. 

Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen Fantasy Outlooks

Those who have rostered Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen should have some optimism. 

Diontae Johnson saw just a 67% catchable pass rate in 2023 from a combination of Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, and Mitch Trubisky. However, he was still able to average 4 catches and 55 receiving yards per game. However, when he played with Ben Roethlisberger in 2021, Johnson was able to rack up 1,181 yards for nearly seven catches and 73 yards per game. 70% of Roethlisberger's passes were deemed catchable that season. 

Johnson leads this team with 12 targets, but he has not been able to turn that into much for his fantasy managers, logging just 34 total yards across his first two games of the season. With the Panther's defense not doing them any favors, Johnson should see plenty of targets with Andy Dalton.

Adam Thielen should get a boost, too.

In his only start with Carolina in 20223, Dalton targeted Adam Thielen 14 times for 145 yards and a score. Thielen finished as the WR3 in PPR scoring that week, while Dalton finished as the QB7. 

Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik and head coach Dave Canales had success with Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans in Tampa Bay. There's hope they do more in Carolina with Andy Dalton now in at QB.