Carolina Panthers Roster
- NFC South
- Stadium
- Bank of America Stadium
- Head Coach
- Matt Rhule
- Offensive Coordinator
- Joe Brady
- Defensive Coordinator
- Phil Snow
- Special Teams Coach
- Chase Blackburn
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey led the NFL in scrimmage yards with 2,392 last year, with the next closest player (Ezekiel Elliott) at 1,777 yards. McCaffrey played 93.4 percent of Carolina's offensive snaps, which was the highest in the league among running backs. His 1,262 scrimmage yards on first down were the most for any player by almost 200 yards -- Derrick Henry came in second at 1,098 -- and he also added nine total first-down touchdowns. McCaffrey averaged 5.0 yards per rush inside the tackles, which was second in the NFL among those with a minimum of 75 inside runs. New head coach Matt Rhule hinted that McCaffrey might not be used as much this year, but even if that's true, the running back is still head and shoulders above the competition because of his capabilities as both a runner and receiver. He should be the first overall pick in all fantasy leagues.
The Carolina Panthers hired former seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly as a pro scout on Thursday. His new role will require plenty of film watching and advance scouting. Kuechly, who was also a five-time first-team All-Pro, retired after the 2019 season mainly because of multiple head injuries suffered throughout his career. He posted 100-plus combined tackles in every single one of his eight seasons in the NFL and also had 12.5 sacks, 18 interceptions and 66 passes defensed. In his prime, Kuechly was one of the best sideline-to-sideline linebackers. He turned 29 years old this past April. It's a shame we didn't get to see more of Captain America on the football field, but he should be a tremendous asset to Carolina's scouting team.
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey comes in ranked ninth on NFL.com's Nick Shook's top-10 explosive runners of 2019, but he'll still be the No. 1 player selected in the vast majority of 2020 fantasy drafts. He reached 15-plus mph on 96 touches last season, which was the most in the NFL, with 52 of those touches coming on rushing attempts. McCaffrey had a 15-plus mph rate of 18.1 percent and was able to gain 10-plus yards on 31 of his rushes in 2019. The fact that he touched the ball so much brings his 15-plus mph percentage down on this list. But McCaffrey's superior abilities as both a runner and receiver make him stand out above the rest of the competition by a landslide.
The Carolina Panthers released tight end Seth DeValve on Wednesday, citing a non-football injury, according to a league source. DeValve was a fourth-round pick by the Browns in 2016 out of Princeton. He played in 12 games (six starts) for the Jaguars last year, totaling 12 receptions on 18 targets for 140 scoreless yards. In his four years in the NFL, the 27-year-old has 60 catches on 95 targets for 736 yards (12.3 yards per catch) and four touchdowns. DeValve has never really been on the fantasy radar, even in deeper leagues, and he is unlikely to do so if he latches on with another team this summer.
Former Carolina Panthers star linebacker Luke Kuechly officially was placed on the Reserve/Retired list on Tuesday, according to a source. By waiting until after June 1, the Panthers can spread Kuechly's salary cap hit over the next two years and save around $6 million against the cap in 2020. Only 29 years old, Kuechly was forced to hang up his cleats early due to head injuries, but he was one of the best sideline-to-sideline linebackers in the game during his eight seasons in the NFL. Drafted ninth overall by Carolina in 2012 out of Boston College, Kuechly went on to seven Pro Bowl selections and five first-team All-Pro honors. He compiled 1,092 combined tackles (690 solo), 12.5 sacks, 75 tackles for loss, 31 QB hits, 18 interceptions, 66 passes defensed, seven forced fumbles and nine fumble recoveries in his decorated career.