The NFL landscape changes yearly. The variance spreads from free agent signings, NFL Draft picks, coaching hires and more. Understanding what a team’s offensive scheme could look like and meshing that with relevant nuggets from the previous year helps shape our view of teams and players for the upcoming season.
That’s where this series will come in handy. Discussing pace, red zone usage, deep passing and everything in-between, I’m venturing down the rabbit hole to provide context for all 32 NFL teams and the fantasy football players you’ll select this year.
NFC East
- Philadelphia Eagles Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
- Dallas Cowboys Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
- New York Giants Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
- Washington Commander Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
NFC North
- Green Bay Packers Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
- Minnesota Vikings Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
- Detroit Lions Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
- Chicago Bears Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
*All data utilized in this article courtesy of FantasyPros, PFF, Football Outsiders. Rotoviz and Playerprofiler.com unless otherwise specified.*
Carolina Panthers Fantasy Football Stats to Know:
- Last season Robbie Anderson finished 88th out of 90 wide receivers with 50 or more targets in yards per route run (0.83) and 56th in route win rate.
- During Ben McAdoo’s four seasons as the Giants’ offensive coordinator and head coach, they ranked 13th, fourth, first and third in neutral script pace.
- Since 2020 Christian McCaffrey has logged eight games with 49% or higher snaps. In those games, he’s averaged 26 PPR points per game. That would have made him the RB1 in each of the last two seasons.
- In 2021, D.J. Moore was WR13 in expected fantasy points but sadly had to contend with a 71.6% catchable target rate (71st among wide receivers).
- Before re-injuring his left shoulder in Week 5 last year, Baker Mayfield was 14th in big-time throw rate, seventh in yards per attempt and held the eighth-lowest turnover-worthy play rate (minimum 30 dropbacks).
- Since 2018, Christian McCaffrey has never finished lower than ninth in yards per route run (first, fifth, ninth, ninth) among running backs (minimum 19 targets).
- Last preseason among 47 wide receivers with 10 or more targets, Terrace Marshall ranked second (3.93) in yards per route run.
- D’Onta Foreman was 23rd in yards after contact per attempt last year (minimum 100 carries). Chuba Hubbard ranked 39th out of the 50 running backs in this sample.
- During Moore’s career, Carolina has ranked 28th, 20th, 29th, and 27th in red zone passing rate.
Carolina Panthers’ Top Fantasy Football Takeaways
As crazy as it is to say, McAdoo could be a godsend for this offense. During McAdoo’s two seasons as offensive coordinator in New York, the Giants were top 13 in points and total yards. He was also a big proponent of running an up-pace offense, which we love. More play volume equals more opportunities for the skill players we love.
Other offensive changes we could see McAdoo implement could benefit someone of great fantasy interest in Moore. Moore has never been a part of an offense that’s finished higher than 20th in red zone passing rate. While the new Panthers’ coordinator did finish 20th in one of his final two seasons commanding the Giants, he was fourth in the other. Moore should see increased opportunities for red zone and endzone targets at his previous playcalling baseline. This is fantastic news for Moore, who checks all of the production and opportunity boxes outside touchdown equity. He’s ranked 29th and 60th in red zone targets over the last two seasons.
McCaffrey remains an elite player in fantasy and for NFL purposes. His efficiency metrics stay among the best in the league. While many might be down on him because of lost seasons, I won’t be among them. McCaffrey is a unicorn in today’s NFL. Like Newt Scamander, I’ll continue to protect and advocate for magical creatures like McCaffrey. If you’re an unyielding pessimist, then Foreman will be a player you’ll love. Looking at last season’s production and the team’s wavering belief in Hubbard, Foreman should be McCaffrey’s handcuff this season.
While McCaffrey and Moore will be the twin pillars of the Panthers’ offense, Carolina will still require other players to step forward. Anderson looked like a player that was cooked. Anderson will likely be in the starting lineup weekly, but his ability to draw targets with declining skills is questionable. Marshall didn’t pay off on the offseason and preseason hype, but after one season, it feels premature to write him off.
While it was a small sample, he did flash last year during the preseason, which can’t be fully dismissed. It could have been the only time we saw him anywhere close to 100% last year. Marshall should be on the short list of possible picks in the final round of your drafts.
Last but certainly not least, Baker Mayfield will be a tangible upgrade from Sam Darnold this season. No, despite what you’ve heard, this won’t and shouldn’t be a competition in camp for the starting gig. Last season Darnold was 40th out of 44 quarterbacks in PFF passing grades (minimum 100 dropbacks) and 30th in EPA/CPOE composite score. Mayfield might not be among the league’s elite quarterbacks, but the shade has gone too far with him.
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