Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton will take over for Bryce Young in the team's Week 3 game against the Las Vegas Raiders but should not be a fantasy option in fantasy leagues. With some decent offensive weapons in Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, and Xavier Legette, Dalton could provide a useful upgrade from Young in NFL terms but it's best for fantasy managers to take a wait-and-see approach with how Dalton looks in this offense. The Panthers have looked like a disaster to start the season and despite benching Young, it's not clear if he was the problem or it was the offense in general. There are better options out there in the quarterback landscape and you would have to be in a desperate situation to consider starting the "Red Rifle".

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales addressed rumors of a potential trade involving quarterback Bryce Young, stating, "That's not something we're really considering. We have a great situation with our quarterbacks right now." Earlier this week, Canales announced that the Panthers would be benching Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton, sparking speculation that teams might reach out to inquire about a trade. Canales put those rumors to rest today. The Panthers have a road matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, who recently upset the Ravens in Baltimore. For now, neither Panthers quarterback should be considered in Week 3 for fantasy purposes.

The Carolina Panthers have promoted tight end Feleipe Franks from the practice squad to the active roster. Franks saw limited action in Sunday's 26-3 loss to the Chargers, playing just one offensive snap as starting tight end Tommy Tremble was active. A one-year starter at Arkansas, Franks spent three years at the University of Florida before signing with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2021. After playing quarterback, he transitioned to tight end in 2022. Atlanta waived him in 2023, then joined the Panthers in 2024. Franks started the season on the active roster, was briefly released, and then signed to the practice squad, where he contributed as a standard elevation last week. He has already made his mark on special teams, and with Ian Thomas (calf) on IR until early October and Jordan Matthews released, Franks is poised to take on a depth role for Carolina.

The Carolina Panthers released tight end Jordan Matthews on Tuesday. Matthews had yet to record a statistic in 2024. Fantasy managers may remember Matthews as the tight end who enjoyed success in Philadelphia from 2014 to 2016 prior to the rise of Zach Ertz. Those days are long gone, however, as Matthews has not been a fantasy factor in several years. The Panthers offense is something that fantasy managers should stay away from anyway, and this move does not affect that assessment.

The Carolina Panthers are benching quarterback Bryce Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton ahead of the team's Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Tom Pelissero reports. Yikes. The news comes after Carolina's disappointing 0-2 start, with Young leading the team to just 13 total points across the two contests. Over the two games, the former first-overall pick completed just 31-of-56 passes (55.4%) for 245 yards (4.4 avg), tossing three interceptions to no touchdowns. Despite coach Dave Canales stating he was sticking with the young QB moving forward just a day ago, after reviewing the game tape, they're opting to go in a different direction. Dalton hopes to inject some life into the league's worst offense through the season's first two matchups. For now, the 36-year-old can be avoided by fantasy managers -- including the remainder of the Panthers' offense -- until he has proven a better option than the Alabama product.