The draft came to a close. The weeks of researching and mock drafting have brought you to this point. Your roster is set, and you can see the Week 1 projected totals for your matchup. Though you’re surprised to see that you are projected to, lose? How could that be?
Oh. Right, you had to scoop up a QB in the last round. And it ended up being Bryce Young.
This is the tough part about punting a certain position in drafts. You find yourself staring down some of the grossest options left over from the rest of the league. It’s, unfortunately, the consequences of your own actions.
Despite how dire it can seem rostering Young, it may not be the worst thing in the world. I’m actually here to explain why it might even be exciting to have him as your starting QB. Let’s come together and say our mantra to get things started:
“New Year. New Bryce Young”
We Have Seen Flashes That Weren’t There Before
If you’ve been around dynasty circles in the past few years, you probably have heard some folks mention “we haven’t seen him do it yet” in regards to some questionable prospects. In general, we want to know if someone can be what we think they can be. We want to know if Treylon Burks can be AJ Brown before fully investing in them – y’know? In our case, we wanted to see something from Bryce Young that would warrant a 1.01 selection in the NFL Draft before firing him up in our lineups.
We did not see anything in 2023 that would get us excited to roster Bryce Young. Thankfully, we did at the tail end of 2024.
Yes – Bryce Young was downright awful to begin his sophomore campaign. He was PFF’s worst graded QB through two weeks of the 2024 season. It didn’t matter the minimum drop-backs; he was worse than Will Levis, Jacoby Brissett, and Gardner Minshew. His benching was justified.
The reason why we are having this conversation today is because of Young’s seemingly miraculous turnaround after his 5-game timeout. Through Weeks 8 and 18 Bryce Young was the 9th-ranked passer in the NFL.
After the Panthers’ bye week, Young’s fantasy finishes went as such: QB14 (KC), QB8 (TB), QB20 (PHI), QB18 (DAL), QB2(ARI), QB17 (TB), QB1(ATL). You could see the confidence return in Young’s game, especially in the final game against Atlanta (for those who need a refresher). Sure, he still struggled against some of the stingier defenses in the league, but it is those bounce-back games that give us hope for 2025. After all, he finished in the top 10 just twice last year through 17 games.
There’s Hope for his Rushing Upside’
When you’re looking for an edge at the QB position, you need to look at the player’s ability to run. 6 Rushing touchdowns, 5 of which came from after the bye week. A huge improvement over his 0 rushing TDs in 2023. Young added to his fantasy totals by rushing for over 20 yards in five of the last 10 games. These are small but extremely important points that push players over the edge, past good, to great.
It’s tough to say if this trend will continue into 2025. But seeing as this team found a tad more success when Young rushed 3 or more times. In those 8 games Young ran 3 or more times, the Panthers were in one-score games in 6 of those matchups.
I’m trying to say this – when Bryce Young becomes a threat on the ground, the Panthers stay in the game and have a better chance to win. In turn, this should result in more reliable fantasy performances.
Panthers have a Favorable Schedule to start the Year
Defenses are hard to predict year over year. But the Jacksonville Jaguars finished last year as the 26th-ranked defense, allowing the 5th most points in the league. A team doesn’t magically turn that around overnight without opening up the coffers to buy a brand new defense. This game should be a good indicator of where Young is in his journey for redemption.
If things look generally positive, the Panthers then have to head to Arizona to face off against a revamped defensive squad there. That sucks. The only silver lining is that Carolina will need to play from behind in that game and will need Young to sling the ball. But a much less exciting prospect than the next week.
In Week 3 the Panthers battled the Falcons once again, and this game should be explosive. Last time these two met, Young accounted for five touchdowns. It’s a game that should be a fantasy bonanza filled with points on both sides. I don’t think five touchdowns is likely, but even just three should be enough to make you happy at the end of the week.
Best of All, if none Of This Works Out, Just Drop Him!
Like i mentioned at the start of this bit – you got to this position because you waited too long on a QB. There’s no incentive to hang onto Bryce Young if he’s bad in Week 1. We can just move on! There will surely be another option that presents themselves after our first week of action.
