Fansided

Fantasy Football: Sam Darnold will keep Panthers’ WRs relevant

By Frankie Licausi

Aug 27, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold (14) makes a throw against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 27, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold (14) makes a throw against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Don’t let D.J. Moore or Robby Anderson slip too far because of a change at quarterback. Sam Darnold showed Friday while they are still studs.

In Friday night’s preseason action, Darnold completed 19-of-25 pass attempts for 162 yards and two touchdowns. In Darnold’s terms, that’s a solid stat line. Putting together a first half with those stats in New York would have had Jets fans raving.

A consistent stat line for Darnold would bode well for the Panthers’ wideout corps. After a stellar year stat-wise for D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson in 2020, many fantasy drafters seemed skeptical that Darnold would provide enough yardage for these two to continue to be relevant.

In 2020, Teddy Bridgewater threw for 3,733 yards and 15 touchdowns. While he was subpar, he did produce two start-able receivers in Moore and Anderson. Even Curtis Samuel provided value as a spot start some weeks.

Darnold’s career high in passing came in 2019 where he threw for 3,024 yards and 19 touchdowns. While that’s not necessarily inspiring, quarterbacks in Adam Gase’s system in recent years — from Miami to New York — have had a hard time thriving.

Darnold has seemingly found a new favorite target in D.J. Moore, while also re-connecting with his former Jets teammate Robby Anderson.

Darnold found his former teammate Robby Anderson for a touchdown right before the end of the first half; just like old times. For those who drafted Anderson, take comfort in the Jets connection that still remains. Anderson will get his.

Meanwhile, it appears Moore hasn’t lost a step in being an reliable target for whoever is quarterbacking his team. He caught all six of his targets for 48 yards. If Moore can finally consistently find the end zone, he’ll outperform his fifth-round ADP.

While Sam Darnold might not be a fantasy relevant quarterback this season, he is in a quarterback-friendly system with a trio of high-upside wide receivers around him.

Don’t let D.J. Moore or Robby Anderson slip too far because of a change at quarterback. They are both WR2s in PPR leagues.

Home/Fantasy Football