Week 8 – Jonathan Stewart vs. Seattle
Jonathan Stewart had a modest 50 yards on 13 carries last week, and he added 12 more yards on a reception against the Packers. Carolina ended up getting destroyed by Green Bay, but it was nice to see Stewart with healthy legs.
This week, Stewart faces the Seahawks. Despite all the notions that Seattle is slipping, they still are second in the league in rushing yards per carry allowed, and the Panthers offensive line hasn’t exactly been blasting open running lanes for the Carolina backfield. Because Stewart is likely to get a full workload, he has value, but we don’t recommend him as anything more than a RB3 in most leagues, or a borderline RB2 in very large leagues.
Week 7 – Jonathan Stewart vs. Green Bay
Jonathan Stewart was a late scratch last week after being expected to possibly get back on the field against the Bengals. He is once again set to start against the Packers, and the Panthers really need him. Stewart has talent and he’s shown he can be productive when healthy, but he always seems to be nicked up.
That being said, if he does start this week, he has a great matchup against the Packers, who have allowed more rushing yards per game to opposing offenses than any other team in the league this year. Green Bay seems to be sorely missing injured defensive lineman B.J. Raji, and Stewart should benefit. We have him as a RB3/Flex option this week, with obvious risk/reward potential.
Week 3 – Jonathan Stewart vs. Pittsburgh
With DeAngelo Williams out, Jonathan Stewart had 16 touches last week and finished with 59 yards, including a 22 yard reception and a short touchdown run late in the game to seal a victory for the Panthers. Those aren’t great numbers, but the amount of touches is encouraging for fantasy owners and Panthers fans that are used to seeing Stewart on the injury report, and not on the field.
Against the Steelers last week, expect a healthy dose of running from the Panthers offense, but with Williams back in the lineup and Mike Tolbert still eating up touches, a repeat of the workload he got last week is unlikely. Unfortunately, with all three players in the game, all three players have diminished fantasy value. Stewart is probably the best of the bunch, but we still have as a very, very low-end RB3 at best.
Week 2 – Jonathan Stewart vs. Detroit
Jonathan Stewart looks healthy, but he didn’t manage much production against the Bucs in Week 1, despite getting nine carries and catching three passes. He wound up with only 37 combined yards, and was outplayed by DeAngelo Williams.
Against Detroit this week, expect more production off a similar workload from the veteran Stewart. He’s always a health risk, but even more concerning is that we’re talking about 12 touches as the norm for him. The Panthers are not going to stop using Mike Tolbert and Williams any time soon, making Stewart fantasy bench fodder for the time being.
Week 1 – Jonathan Stewart vs. Tampa Bay
It’s hard to know what to make of Jonathan Stewart, who got a pair of goal line carries in the preseason and looks healthy for a change, after missing more than an entire season’s worth of games over the past two years with ongoing injuries. Stewart hasn’t really been fantasy relevant since 2011, but he used to be a dynamic playmaker and a guy with upside. He scored 20 touchdowns during his first two years in the league, and he definitely has the most upside and the most downside of the Panthers stable of backs.
Against the Bucs brutal defensive front seven this week, and coming off such a bad couple of seasons, it’s hard to recommend starting the seventh year back out of Oregon. He has upside, but fantasy owners should witness how the Panthers offense hums with both backs healthy to start the season, and what the carry distribution will be before starting the oft-injured Stewart.
Jonathan Stewart is finally healthy (at the moment) and looked pretty good in pre-season action as a goal line option for a Panthers team that badly needs the running game to step up this season and alleviate some of the pressure of fourth year quarterback Cam Newton. Stewart will be given every opportunity to be the guy in Carolina, but he’s missed 17 games out of the last 32, leaving fantasy owners and the Panthers with more concerns than optimism.
Fantasy Upside
Stewart has a rare blend of speed and power, and he’s on a team that is committed to running the football and playing good defense to win games. He catches the ball pretty well and he has enough power to stay in the game on the goal line. If he can get a consistent workload and stay on the field, then he can put up some productive numbers.
Fantasy Downside
Stewart has missed so much time over the past two seasons, he’s hard to trust. In six seasons, almost half his career yardage and nearly three quarters of his career touchdowns came in his first two years, slightly offset by a 2011 season where he caught 47 passes. Stewart also still has DeAngelo Williams to fight with for carries, and fullback Mike Tolbert to battle with for goal line touches. There’s a lot of downside with this 27 year old back out of Oregon.
Bottom Line
Stewart’s saving grace right now is that his ADP has him as a last round or undrafted pick in most leagues. For that kind of value, Stewart can be worth a gamble in case DeAngelo Williams gets hurt or Stewart doesn’t. Either way, if (and it’s a big if) he can stay on the field, Stewart should be worth an occasional flex start, and thus, he deserves a spot on the back of your roster. Just don’t count on him.
