Panthers Week 2 fantasy projections: Bryce Young, Diontae Johnson and more

Matt Alquiza | Sep 15, 2024

Sep 8, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) calls a play in the huddle with wide receiver Jonathan Mingo (15) against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

If you played a Carolina Panther in fantasy football in week one than you may be entitled to financial compensation. Just not any league winnings. In an ugly blowout loss, not a single Panther was worthy of a start in fantasy football. Adam Thielen led all non-quarterback Panthers in week one fantasy scoring with 6.5 half PPR points.

The Panthers are projected by FanDuel to score 16.5 points against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. The popular sports book believes that touchdowns will be hard to come by in the Queen City, meaning it will be another slow week in regards to fantasy points for the Panthers. Let’s take a stab at projecting how the Panthers offensive weapons will fare in week two.

Bryce Young

18/30, 185 yards, one touchdown, one interception (12 fantasy points)

I’m expecting another slow week for Young. The Chargers boast a mean pass rush that will have the Carolina quarterback under siege all afternoon, meaning Dave Canales and company will rely on the ground game to churn out yards. Young's week one struggles are likely a harbinger of things to come, and if they are, my projection for the Panthers' quarterback's week two statistics may be bullish.

Chuba Hubbard

15 carries, 87 yards, one touchdown (14.7 fantasy points)

Hubbard is the key to a successful Panthers performance. The Chargers defensive line is the weakness of an otherwise solid defense, and the Panthers' interior trio of Robert Hunt, Austin Corbett, and Damien Lewis will open up holes for Hubbard to plow through. The Raiders failed to make a dent in the Chargers rushing defense, but Canales has no choice but to hand the ball to Hubbard double-digit times. The Panthers head coach has been adamant about his commitment to the run game, and we'll see that for the first time in week two.

Diontae Johnson

6 catches, 65 yards, one touchdown (15.5 fantasy points)

For fantasy purposes, Sunday will represent a bounce back for the most rostered and started Panther in fantasy (via Sleeper). Johnson saw six targets in week one (one shy of Xavier Legette for the team lead), and I believe he'll see nearly double that number week-to-week going forward, cashing in for those that roster him in fantasy.

Jakobi Meyers and Davante Adams had some running room against the Chargers secondary last weekend, but neither were able to make an impact for those that roster them in fantasy. Johnson will outpace the Raiders' stars week one outputs.

Adam Thielen

5 catches, 50 yards (7.5 fantasy points)

Another ho-hum week for the veteran wide out. Thielen will continue to be Young’s safety blanket, hauling in short catches and exploiting zone coverage, while being unplayable in fantasy football.