In a loaded class of quarterbacks, the Carolina Panthers traded up to one overall to select Bryce Young. They invested most of their future and draft capital into him. Whether a quarterback’s success is a product of nature or nurture, first-round quarterbacks still have a 50 percent bust rate. The Panthers trust him. Should you do the same with Bryce Young on your fantasy squads?
Bryce Young Fantasy Football Outlook
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Player Scouting Report
It’s important to note for fantasy football, scouting is a little different. A player can be absolutely atrocious on the football field, but still score fantasy points (see Tim Tebow). But for a quarterback to be good for fantasy, they require one of two things. They either need a rushing upside (over 500 yards on the season) or to pass for 4,000 yards and 25 TDs. Every quarterback in the top 12 last season met one of those two categories. With that in mind, does Bryce Young have a path to either?
Short answer no. His full pre-draft scouting report highlights his mobility, but it was less for rushing and more for pocket manipulation and extending plays. College rushing stats translate weirdly for QBs because sacks count as negative yards, but in Young’s Heisman season, he had 81 attempts for zero yards. In his junior year, he put together 49 attempts for 185 yards. Neither of those inspires a lot of hope for a rushing upside in the NFL.
At least he showed flashes of being an elite passer in college. His touchdown to interception ratio, ability to place the ball in the receivers’ hands where they can make a move, and ability to read the field were all exceptional. If he is surrounded by weapons like he was in his Heisman season, there’s reason to believe he can recreate the magic.
Fantasy Football Situation
Since Young doesn’t have a rushing upside, he will likely be dependent on the weapons around him. That would be great if he had one of the best wide receiver rooms in the NFL. Instead, he’ll be relying on an ancient version of Adam Thielen, a second-round rookie, Terrace Marshall, and D.J. Chark. D.J. Chark hasn’t put together 1,000 yards since 2019. Marshall never has. Thielen hasn’t done it since Black Panther was number one at the box office. Not ideal.
The team invested heavily in Miles Sanders in free agency and had one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL in 2022. They play in a very winnable division in the NFC South and could look to take the ball out of their quarterback’s hands. Most sportsbooks have him as the early favorite at [metabet_core_dynamic_odds market=”fbp/nfl_most_passing_yards_rookie” query=”nfl/bryce_young/player_187773″ site_id=”lastwordonsports”] to lead all rookies in passing yards, but does that mean much? To hit top 12 upside, he needs 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. Only four rookies ever have hit that yardage mark, and three didn’t have the touchdowns to help.
Last Word on Bryce Young Fantasy Football Outlook
In a one-quarterback league, Young is clearly a player to avoid. Even in Superflex drafts, he’s likely a QB3 to be used in bye weeks. The highly sought-after 2021 quarterback class only had one finish in the top 24, and that was Lawrence at QB22. Avoid in most formats, and look for a better option for this season.
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Main Photo Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
