The Carolina Panthers were the highest scoring offense in the NFL last season, and now they get No. 1 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin back to pair with a much-improved Devin Funchess.
Kelvin Benjamin
ESPN fantasy projection: 66.4 receptions, 892.6 yards, 8.4 touchdowns
Devin Funchess
ESPN fantasy projection: 46 receptions, 631.1 yards, 5.3 touchdowns
Over or under: The bigger question might be if Funchess will outperform Benjamin, who was clearly Cam Newton’s No. 1 target before he suffered a season-ending knee injury in camp last season. I believe he will, so I’ll say the 6-foot-4 Funchess goes over on receptions, yards and touchdowns. If you’ve seen him in practice, you’ll understand why. That opponents will have to pay a lot of attention to Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen makes Funchess more dangerous. That he can line up in the slot or wide makes him unpredictable. He’s a sleeker, faster version of Benjamin. As receivers coach Ricky Proehl told me, Funchess’ improvement since his rookie season is night and day.
As for Benjamin, I’ll say under in all three categories. With Funchess and Olsen taking their share of catches, it’s unlikely he’ll get the nine touchdown catches he had as a rookie. Plus, he’s still fighting to get back in peak condition.
Who else could see time: Ted Ginn Jr. caught a career-high 10 touchdown passes last season. He won’t come close to that this season, with Benjamin back and Funchess better. But Ginn’s speed will be a factor, so four or five touchdown catches is not unrealistic. This is the deepest group of wide receivers Newton has had, so Brenton Bersin and Philly Brown will also get a few balls, but the top three should be Olsen, Funchess and Benjamin.
