Fantasy Upside
Fozzy Whittaker has shown the ability to be productive in stretches, and he contributes as a backup to Jonathan Stewart, as well as on third downs and often on special teams. That kind of versatility should make him a lock to make the roster, and he could be a reasonable two-down handcuff option. He caught 25 passes last season and finished with 491 yards from scrimmage.
Fantasy Downside
Fozzy was a better option before the Panthers drafted Christian McCaffrey. Even if Stewart gets hurt, Fozzy will likely only get carries on early downs, and his red zone potential is limited with Cam Newton at QB.
2017 Bottom Line
Ultimately, Fozzy is worth rostering if Stewart goes down, but his upside is limited with McCaffrey taking the receptions, and Newton likely to continue to eat into his potential for rushing touchdowns. With Stewart healthy, there’s no reason to draft Whittaker heading into the season.
Week 8 vs. Arizona
Fozzy Whittaker took a backseat in Week 6 against the Saints before the bye with Jonathan Stewart back in the lineup. He only had one carry and one catch for a total of three yards. He was targeted twice in the passing game though and he should continue to get change-of-pace work in games that are a little less pass-happy than the Saints game was. He also may continue to be active in the passing game, giving him some deep-league PPR value. Still, regardless of the matchup, it’s unlikely Whittaker will get enough looks with Stewart in the lineup to warrant serious fantasy consideration.
Week 6 at New Orleans
Fozzy Whittaker didn’t get as many looks against the Bucs last week as the score stayed pretty tight all game. He only got one look in the passing game, finishing with nine yards receiving to go with his 45 yards on five carries. The bulk of the work went to Cameron Artis-Payne, who played extensively in two-down situations.
With Cam Newton back under center and the Saints next up, it’s likely the Panthers will need to throw the ball more, which should be good for Whittaker’s value. He’s a low-end option in most leagues, but he has some deep-league value in PPR formats as a RB3.
Week 5 vs. Tampa Bay
Fozzy Whittaker played 58 percent of the offensive snaps last week against the Falcons and ended up with nine catches for 86 yards. While the prolific offense of the Falcons kept the Panthers in passing mode for most of the game, he should still be used as a third-down and change-of-pace back moving forward.
This week, Whittaker faces an above average Bucs run defense and will still share time with Cameron Artis-Payne, but should be good for a few catches once again. He has some low-end RB2 value in larger PPR leagues and isn’t a bad desperation start in standard league formats as a guy who gets the ball in a variety of ways.
Week 4 at Atlanta
Fozzy Whittaker played a complementary role to Cameron Artis-Payne last week with Jonathan Stewart injured, and served as the primary passing game back, catching five of six passes for 34 yards. He added 22 yards on five carries, but doesn’t look to be the guy who will get the bulk of the carries in the run game.
Fozzy was on the field more than Artis-Payne was last week, so he has some upside, particularly in PPR leagues against the Falcons. Atlanta has given up the fourth most passing yards, and they’re 22nd in rushing yards allowed. With a good matchup, Fozzy should be considered a borderline RB2/RB3 option in most leagues, with some added value in PPR formats.
Week 3 vs. Minnesota
Fozzy Whittaker had a nice game against the 49ers last week. After Jonathan Stewart got hurt, Whittaker had 16 carries for 100 yards and added 31 yards on three receptions. He should be in for a larger workload this week with Stewart still out, although is reportedly to remain the change-of-pace back behind Cameron Artis-Payne.
Even if he gets more work however, he’s not a great start against the Minnesota run defense. The Vikings haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown to a RB in two weeks and have held Eddie Lacy and DeMarco Murray to a combined 92 yards on 25 carries. Fozzy has some deep value in PPR leagues, but he’s probably better left on the bench until we see how much work he’s going to get.
Super Bowl vs. Denver
Fozzy Whittaker had a couple of change-of-pace touches against the Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game, but he ultimately ended up with negative yardage and is unlikely to see the field much this week against Denver unless there’s an injury, or the Panthers engineer another blowout victory. That seems unlikely against arguably the 4th best scoring defense in the league. Whitaker shouldn’t be the guy you bank on in your fantasy lineup this week, as he simply isn’t likely to get enough carries to be relevant.
Week 15 vs. New York Giants
Fozzy Whittaker had eight carries for 34 yards and a touchdown in relief of starter Jonathan Stewart last week as the Panthers beat the snot out of the Falcons to extend their season record to 13-0. Whittaker will likely take over the starting role this week against the Giants with news that Jonathan Stewart is likely to miss the game. Whittaker is a risky option but has some upside if he gets touches. Still, the Panthers may share carries between Whittaker, Mike Tolbert, and Cameron Artis-Payne, making any of them risky for all owners. Keep him on the bench if you can, but he’s worth an add to your roster in case he takes over to finish the season.
Fozzy Whitaker didn’t get much of an opportunity last season behind Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, but he did look good in a limited role. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry on his way to 145 yards and a touchdown on the season and even added five catches for 60 yards and another score. He’ll enter this season as the favorite to backup the oft-injured Stewart.
Fantasy Upside
Williams is gone and Stewart is about as injury-prone as it gets, so Whitaker is a nice handcuff for Stewart owners. He also is better catching the ball than his five receptions last year would indicate. He caught 21 balls for the Browns in 2013 and 34 during his junior year at Texas. Aside from his fantastic first name (though his given name is Foswhitt), Fozzy also runs with a nice combination of power and balance and has a chance to put up decent numbers if given the opportunity.
Fantasy Downside
While he may be a pretty good handcuff, Fozzy has virtually no value as long as Stewart is healthy. Additionally, he may get some competition from rookie Cameron Artis-Payne for the backup role, a player who runs with a lot of power and has a low center of gravity. If Fozzy loses the backup job, his fantasy value plummets to non-existent.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, Fozzy should be picked up late by Stewart owners. He’s the most likely handcuff at this point, and if you have space for him on the back end of your roster, then you could do worse than putting him there. Also, he’s not bad option at the end of a draft in large leagues as a leader in the “back-behind-an-injury-prone-guy” club. I’ll call it the Leroy Hoard All-Stars from the days of always drafting the backup Vikings running back to the oft-injured Robert Smith in the late 90’s.
Divisional Round – Fozzy Whitaker vs. Seattle
Fozzy Whitaker had only one carry for four yards last week, but saved his fantasy day with a 39 yard touchdown reception in the third quarter that put the Panthers back on top of the Cardinals for good. Whitaker will be battling Mike Tolbert and DeAngelo Williams again for change of pace carries behind Jonathan Stewart, and while he may have a bigger chance of getting touches than those other two guys, he’s still way too unreliable to count on.
