BryceYoung

News: 1 day agoPanthers coach Dave Canales said Friday that Young and other starters will play in the first two preseason games, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Spin: Young made one appearance last preseason, throwing a TD pass on his lone drive but then getting off to a dreadful start in the regular season. He was better later in the year after he returned from a benching, especially over the final few weeks, setting up 2025 as essentially a make-or-break season. The good news for Young, apart from his progress late last year, is that he has a solid offensive line in front of him -- with all five starters seemingly healthy right now -- and an upgrade group of pass catchers. Rookie No. 8 overall pick Tetairoa McMillan highlights the group, but there's also optimism coming out of Panthers camp about WR Xavier Legette and TE Ja'Tavion Sanders making strides in Year 2. It sounds like we'll see most of them next Friday (Aug. 8) when the Panthers kick off their preseason with a home exhibition against the Browns.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Young is entering his third NFL season looking to carry over the momentum from a strong finish to 2024. After a tough rookie campaign, the 2023 No. 1 pick was briefly benched last season prior to making a big leap once back in the lineup. Young played 10 full games from Week 8 on and averaged 18.0 fantasy PPG, which would've ranked 10th over the full season. He posted a pair of top-2 fantasy weeks in his final three outings. Young threw multiple passing TDs in each of those final three games, but perhaps most notable was his leap as a rusher (30-208-5 during his final eight games after totaling 294 yards and one TD in his first 22 pro games). Young still has a lot to prove, but the 23-year-old's late-season surge, as well as the arrival of first-round WR Tetairoa McMillan, is enough to make him worth late-round consideration on draft day.