Carolina Panthers: Fantasy football outlook for Week 1 vs. Jets

Ryan Santoso – Carolina Panthers K

Up and down performances from former Panthers kicker Joey Slye lead many to question why the team waited so long to bring in a player to compete against him in camp. That player, Ryan Santoso doesn’t have a regular-season kick to his name, but was able to win the job over Slye and will be the starter in Carolina in Week 1.

Start or Sit in Week 1?

SIT.

Easy decision, as Santoso hasn’t even been drafted in any Yahoo or ESPN fantasy league, according to Fantasy Pros. Santoso may have a nice outing if the Panthers can put up a lot of points against the Jets, but we don’t have enough information about Santoso in the regular season to recommend starting him.

Carolina Panthers DEF

Keep sleeping on the Carolina Panthers’ defense. The young, but talented group finished in the top six in fantasy points through the last eight games of the 2020 campaign. This offseason, Matt Rhule and Scott Fitterer added veterans in Hassan Reddick and AJ Bouye as well as selecting Jaycee Horn, arguably the best cornerback in the 2021 draft class.

If this group continues its upward trajectory, they won’t be available on the waiver wire long.

Start or Sit in Week 1?

Buyer Beware. 

Despite the tasty matchup at home against a rookie QB, I’m still on the fence about taking the risk here. I’m bullish on this group long-term, but the Jets offense is a mystery and the 2021 iteration of the Panthers defense has to prove who they are on the field.