Most Recent News
Friday, March 9, 2018, 3:36pm
Looking to overhaul their receiving room, the Carolina Panthers have acquired Torrey Smith from the Eagles in exchange for cornerback Daryl Worley, sources told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Friday.
Smith rolls into Carolina with a chance to make an impact for an offense that also boasts Devin Funchess, Russell Shepard and second-year speedster Curtis Samuel at the position. Smith isn't the deep threat he once was, but he gives quarterback Cam Newton an experienced downfield target to play with.
Fantasy Impact:
Smith isn't a fantasy factor right now, but it's not inconceivable that he could have a Ted Ginn-type year in Carolina.
Scouting Report
Posted by Brandon Niles
Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 7:52pm
Fantasy Upside
Cam Newton looked more like himself last season after a down year in 2016. He still didn’t match the 45 touchdowns he amassed in 2015, but his completion rate improved (59.1%) and he threw 22 touchdowns. Furthermore, after rushing for a career-low 359 yards in 2016, he gained a career-high 754 yards on the ground, adding six additional touchdowns. Newton continues to be a viable dual-threat fantasy option, giving him high upside in any given week. The additions of Torrey Smith and first-round pick D.J. Moore to the Carolina receiving corps should help him, as well as the hiring of Norv Turner as offensive coordinator.
Fantasy Downside
Newton is 29 years old and ran the ball 139 times last season, making durability a potential issue. While he’s only missed three games throughout his career, he’s consistently nagged by injuries and is targeted by opposing defenders for bone-crushing hits. Additionally, while Turner has a long history of success as a coordinator, his last couple of stops in Minnesota and Cleveland didn’t yield tremendous fantasy numbers at the quarterback position — although, he didn't work with someone with Newton’s talent. The Panthers also continue to have a below-average offensive line.
2018 Bottom Line
Newton carries enough risk to make it concerning to invest too heavily in him, but he’s a bona fide starting fantasy quarterback with high upside in any given week. The group of weapons he has surrounding him may be the best he’s had throughout his career, and even if Turner isn’t as effective as he once was, he doesn’t have to be too inventive to exceed the expectations of a team that’s had Mike Shula leading the offense for the past five years. He should be considered a top-end option in all league formats — in the second-tier group of quarterbacks behind Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.
2018 Strength of Schedule - CAR
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 | W14 | W15 | W16 | W17 |
|---|
15
DAL | 16
@ATL | 24
CIN | BYE | 21
NYG | 10
@WAS | 13
@PHI | 3
BAL | 17
TB | 14
@PIT | 26
@DET | 7
SEA | 17
@TB | 28
@CLE | 11
NO | 16
ATL | 11
@NO |
Schedule difficulty based on schedule-adjusted, positional defensive ranking. Top DEF = 1, bottom DEF = 32.
2017 Game Stats
| Wk | Opp | Comp | Att | PaYds | PaTD | Int | YPA | YPR | RuAtt | Yds | TD | Fum | YPC | Pts | Snaps | % |
|---|
| 1 | @SF | 14 | 25 | 171 | 2 | 1 | 6.84 | 12.21 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.50 | 13.1 | 67/67 | 100.0% |
| 2 | BUF | 20 | 32 | 228 | 0 | 0 | 7.12 | 11.40 | 5 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 11.8 | 68/68 | 100.0% |
| 3 | NO | 17 | 26 | 167 | 0 | 3 | 6.42 | 9.82 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 5.33 | 8.3 | 50/59 | 84.7% |
| 4 | @NE | 22 | 29 | 316 | 3 | 1 | 10.90 | 14.36 | 8 | 44 | 1 | 0 | 5.50 | 33.0 | 63/63 | 100.0% |
| 5 | @DET | 26 | 33 | 355 | 3 | 0 | 10.76 | 13.65 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 26.2 | 66/66 | 100.0% |
| 6 | PHI | 28 | 52 | 239 | 1 | 3 | 4.60 | 8.54 | 11 | 71 | 1 | 0 | 6.45 | 20.7 | 82/82 | 100.0% |
| 7 | @CHI | 21 | 34 | 211 | 0 | 2 | 6.21 | 10.05 | 9 | 50 | 0 | 1 | 5.56 | 7.4 | 72/72 | 100.0% |
| 8 | @TB | 18 | 32 | 154 | 1 | 1 | 4.81 | 8.56 | 11 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 4.00 | 12.6 | 65/65 | 100.0% |
| 9 | ATL | 13 | 24 | 137 | 0 | 0 | 5.71 | 10.54 | 9 | 86 | 1 | 0 | 9.56 | 20.1 | 65/65 | 100.0% |
| 10 | MIA | 21 | 35 | 254 | 4 | 0 | 7.26 | 12.10 | 5 | 95 | 0 | 0 | 19.00 | 35.7 | 71/77 | 92.2% |
| 11 | BYE | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 12 | @NYJ | 11 | 28 | 168 | 0 | 0 | 6.00 | 15.27 | 9 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 3.11 | 15.5 | 72/72 | 100.0% |
| 13 | @NO | 17 | 27 | 183 | 2 | 0 | 6.78 | 10.76 | 6 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 8.50 | 20.4 | 57/57 | 100.0% |
| 14 | MIN | 13 | 25 | 137 | 1 | 1 | 5.48 | 10.54 | 11 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 6.36 | 14.5 | 64/64 | 100.0% |
| 15 | GB | 20 | 31 | 242 | 4 | 0 | 7.81 | 12.10 | 14 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 4.14 | 31.5 | 75/75 | 100.0% |
| 16 | TB | 16 | 25 | 160 | 0 | 1 | 6.40 | 10.00 | 14 | 52 | 1 | 0 | 3.71 | 15.6 | 65/66 | 98.5% |
| 17 | @ATL | 14 | 34 | 180 | 1 | 3 | 5.29 | 12.86 | 11 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 5.36 | 11.1 | 61/61 | 100.0% |
| Per game | 18.19 | 30.75 | 206.38 | 1.38 | 1.00 | 6.71 | 11.35 | 8.69 | 47.13 | 0.38 | 0.06 | 5.42 | 18.59 | 66.44/67.44 | 98.47% |
| Totals | 291 | 492 | 3302 | 22 | 16 | 6.71 | 11.35 | 139 | 754 | 6 | 1 | 5.42 | 297.48 | 1063/1079 | 98.47% |
