Fantasy Upside
With little competition on the roster, Kelvin Benjamin should step right back into the WR1 role on a Panthers team that created 35 passing touchdowns last season, tied for third in the league. Benjamin is a big target who can go up and get overthrown balls, which makes him an ideal fit for quarterback Cam Newton, who tends to sail some passes over the heads of his receivers. Benjamin had a great rookie season in 2014, catching 73 passes for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns, and Carolina will be hoping that Benjamin can come back strong and lead their receiving corps.
Fantasy Downside
Drops were an issue for Benjamin during his rookie year, and he’ll need to shore up his hands if he’s going to produce at WR1 numbers on a consistent basis. Additionally, you never know how a guy is going to be coming off a knee injury, although explosiveness off the line and deep speed has never been part of what makes Benjamin a good receiver. His health status and his ability to avoid a delayed sophomore slump will be what determine if he can take the next step in what will effectively be his second season as a pro.
2016 Bottom Line
Benjamin is a risky option, but he has excellent upside in all league formats. He’s big, physical, and has already demonstrated the ability to produce at the NFL level. His injury makes him more of a WR2 option in most fantasy leagues, but he could wind up being a steal if that proves not to be an issue for him. He’s going in the fourth round in most leagues right now, which is just about right for a guy that lands in the top 25 in our receiver rankings.
The Panthers seem to have found their next WR1 with Kelvin Benjamin, last year’s first round pick out of Florida State. Benjamin put up strong numbers as a rookie last season, hauling in 73 passes for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns. He was a strong red zone target for Carolina, and he managed to be successful despite quarterback Cam Newton playing hurt for a good part of the year behind a horrid offensive line. The Panthers will hope Benjamin can build on his successful rookie season as they try to take the NFC South again in 2015.
Fantasy Upside
Benjamin is a monster of a man. At 6’5, 245lbs, he has the requisite size to win jump balls and to make a big impact in the red zone. He showed the ability to come strong off the line, helping him overcome press coverage in a way that many slow footed big receivers struggle with when they enter the league. Benjamin is young and growing with a franchise caliber quarterback and he has the kind of catching radius that helps quarterbacks out.
Fantasy Downside
Drops were an issue in his rookie season, and the Panthers will hope he can resolve some of those issues. Benjamin also lacks blazing speed, though he still managed to average respectable 13.8 yards per catch last year. Benjamin also may have some of his targets eaten into by rookie Devin Funchess, and veteran tight end Greg Olsen remains an elite pass catcher on the team.
Bottom Line
Benjamin has some flaws in his game and some concerns, but as the top receiver on the Panthers’ depth chart for the foreseeable future and coming off a season when he was targeted 146 time (7th most in the league), he seems to have a pretty high floor. He’s a solid WR2 option in all weeks and will even put up elite numbers from time to time. His value is pretty high right now, so you’ll have to give up a good pick to get him, but he seems unlikely to suffer a sophomore slump based on opportunity alone.
Divisional Round – Kelvin Benjamin vs. Seattle
Kelvin Benjamin had only 33 yards on four catches last week against the Cardinals, as he suffered from a tough matchup. This week, things won’t get much easier against the Seahawks defense. Seattle was the best team in the league against the pass this year, and is led by Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas, two of the best players in the game at their respective positions.
Benjamin is still a viable fantasy option, but he’s more like a low-end WR2/3 kind of guy this week, ranking outside our top ten. There is depth this week at the WR position, so it would be better to look elsewhere if possible in most leagues.
Wildcard Weekend – Kelvin Benjamin vs. Arizona
Kelvin Benjamin had a disappointing end to a nice season, catching only one of the five passes thrown his way for a total of nine yards against a vulnerable Atlanta Falcons defense. Benjamin finished the season with 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns though, a great sign for the Panthers future.
This week, Benjamin will face a Cardinals defense that actually gave up the fourth most passing yards to opposing offenses this year, but only allowed 22 touchdown passes on the season. He’s been a little feast or famine all year, and fantasy owners can expect similar risk/reward this week. He’s a borderline top ten option, and is as good as anyone outside the top five or six options in a loaded group of wildcard receivers.
Week 17 – Kelvin Benjamin vs. Atlanta
Kelvin Benjamin had only 47 yards on five receptions last week against Cleveland, though he was targeted 12 times. Benjamin has had a great season, but does drop some passes and does have some games like last week where he has minimal yardage and no touchdowns.
Still, Benjamin has been good enough this season to make him a viable week-to-week fantasy option. This week, he has extra value with a great matchup against Atlanta’s dead last pass defense. We have Benjamin as a high-end WR2 option in all leagues this week.
Week 16 – Kelvin Benjamin vs. Cleveland
Kelvin Benjamin caught eight of the 13 balls thrown his way last week against the Bucs, and wound up with 104 yards receiving. He’s on pace for nearly 1,100 yards and over 10 touchdowns and if not for the tremendous talent in this year’s rookie WR class, he’d be a lock for OROY honors.
This week, he has a tough matchup against the Browns, and may face Joe Haden if he isn’t hobbled by a shoulder injury. Either way, Benjamin will have a harder time against the Browns than he did against the Bucs, making him a lower-tier WR2 option than usual. Still, he gets so many targets week in and week out, it’s hard not to keep him active, and we have him as a top 20 option in our rankings this week.
Week 15 – Kelvin Benjamin vs. Tampa Bay
Kelvin Benjamin had only two catches last week for 24 yards, but he was targeted five times and did manage to find the end zone for the ninth time this season, which is tied for tenth in the league. The rookie should continue to produce, and it’s a great sign for him that the offense got back on track.
Regardless of who starts at QB this week, Benjamin should be active in all league formats as a solid WR2 against the Bucs. Tampa Bay has given up 25 touchdowns through the air this season, and they allow nearly 250 passing yards per game on average.
Week 14 – Kelvin Benjamin vs. New Orleans
Kelvin Benjamin had only 56 yards last week against the Vikings on five receptions, but he continues to get a ton of targets, as quarterback Cam Newton looked for him 12 times throughout the game.
Benjamin is a candidate for rookie of the year and has emerged as a number one target for the Panthers, which they sorely needed. He has a nice matchup this week against a bottom five Saints pass defense and he should be in store for a lot of targets once again. Fantasy owners should consider him a borderline WR1 option, and a solid WR2.
Week 13 – Kelvin Benjamin vs. Minnesota
Kelvin Benjamin caught nine balls for 109 yards and a late touchdown two weeks ago against the Falcons, and he remains a top rookie receiver in a rare season where rookies are dominating the passing game. Benjamin is now on pace for 75 receptions, 1,117 yards, and 11 touchdowns and has been one of the few bright spots on a struggling Panther offense this season.
Benjamin faces a Vikings defense that is only giving up 224 passing yards per game this year, but has surrendered 19 touchdown passes in 2014. Benjamin thrives in the red zone and should stand a good chance of scoring in this matchup. Benjamin is a solid WR2 this week, and is worth having active in all league formats.
Week 11 – Kelvin Benjamin vs. Atlanta
Kelvin Benjamin only caught three of the seven balls thrown his way, but he made them count. Two of those reception were late touchdown catches and he wound up with 70 yards receiving on the day. Benjamin remains a top target for Cam Newton and he’s managed to stay productive despite the Panthers’ struggles on offense.
Fantasy owners should keep Benjamin active against the Falcons, who have allowed the third most passing yards per game in the league. We have him listed as a fringe WR1 with a nice matchup, and an excellent WR2 option.
