By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Follow @walterfootball for updates.
Devin Funchess continues to get a ton of offseason hype, and it’s enough to make me wonder if it’s actually true. Kelvin Benjamin hasn’t fully returned to practices, and Funchess has been the star of OTAs according to those in the know. Funchess converted from tight end to wide receiver his junior year at Michigan, so there’s no doubt he was raw at the position, especially his rookie year in the NFL. Now, it appears he has shaved down the learning curve and has poised himself to be the No. 2 receiver on the team, with some chance to be the No. 1. Of course, if Kelvin Benjamin comes back fully healthy, which he is expected to do and Greg Olsen remains his best self, then Funchess will be relegated to, at best, the third-most targets on a team that would rather run the ball. But, Benjamin’s rookie numbers were inflated by his number of targets and Olsen is good, but he’s still a tight end, and Funchess could pass him up at some point if he has truly made a big step this offseason.
Last season, Cam Newton threw 35 touchdown passes on just 298 completions, which was a touchdown on over 11 percent of his completions. That’s pretty amazing, but even more amazing is that Ted Ginn caught 10 of those touchdowns while dropping multiple passes in the interim. Ginn was called upon with Benjamin out for the year and Funchess still learning the position and the offense, but at 31 years old, the journeyman Ginn will have trouble finding playing time this year.
The question is, will Newton’s touchdown percentage fall back to his norm, which have been closer to seven percent, and will he be able to supply Olsen, Benjamin and Funchess with enough scoring opportunities to give all three fantasy value, or will Funchess need to demonstrably pass Benjamin as the No. 1 receiver to have true fantasy upside?
I do think Newton showed marked improvement last season and dropped passes did not help his efficiency numbers. Ginn and Funchess were the main culprits for drops last year, with nine and eight each, but the scuttlebutt so far in OTAs has been Funchess’ improved hands. Also, all but two of Funchess’ drops came before Week 8 last season. He clearly improved as the season went on, with all five of his touchdown receptions coming in the last nine games.
But what about a healthy Kelvin Benjamin? His rookie year, 2014, in which he saw 145 targets, gave him the third-most targets for a rookie receiver since target data has been tracked – starting in 1992. Benjamin caught just 73 of those targets, dropping 11. Now he’s been away from the game for over a year and has an improved Funchess to contend with. Of course, Benjamin is going to be a big part of this offense, but he’ll need time to get back up to speed and unless there are injuries, there is no way he’ll see over 140 targets again.
Unfortunately, there is no Rosetta stone to unlock this mystery of who will lead the Panthers in targets and fantasy points, but Funchess is currently being drafted as the 56th receiver in the 13th round according to Fantasy Football Calculator. Thankfully, there is plenty of value there, especially when you compare him to Benjamin, who is being drafted as the 15th receiver in the third round. I will not be taking Benjamin anywhere close to that ADP, but sign me up for Funchess in the 10th or later.
For more advice and recommendations, check out WalterFootball.com’s Fantasy Football Rankings.
More 2015 Fantasy Football Articles:
Fantasy Football Rankings
2015 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2015 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 9/10 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings - 9/4 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 9/10 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings - 9/4 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/10 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings - 9/4 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 9/10 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings - 9/4 (Chet)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Flex Rankings - 9/4 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football PPR Rankings - 9/4 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 8/27 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 8/27 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings - 5/14 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Dynasty - 5/14 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator - 9/10 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 9/3 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/27 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/20 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/13 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Experts Draft - 8/11 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/7 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/6 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 7/31 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 7/23 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft (2-QB) - 7/15 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Mock Draft (PPR) - 7/6 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
2015 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - 9/10 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 PPR - 9/10 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 2-QB - 9/10 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 Touchdown League - 9/10 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Custom - 9/10 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football: Dynasty Rankings - 9/10 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Top 200 Rankings - 9/4 (Chet)
Chet Gresham's 2015 Fantasy Football Positional Cheat Sheet - 9/4 (Chet)
Chet Gresham's 2015 Fantasy Football Overall Cheat Sheet - 9/4 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Articles:
2015 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Training Camp - 9/10 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Tight End Matchup Chart: Week 1 - 9/9 (Chet)
Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Matchup Chart: Week 1 - 9/8 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Sleepers - 9/8 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Running Back Matchup Chart: Week 1 - 9/7 (Chet)
Fantasy Football Quarterback Matchup Chart: Week 1 - 9/6 (Chet)
2015 NFL Preseason Recap, Fantasy Football Notes - 9/4 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Preseason Stock - 9/4 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Quarterback Targets - 9/4 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Busts - 9/4 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Goal-Line Running Backs - 9/3 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football News - 9/1 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football: Better Than ADP - 8/31 (Chet)
Daily Fantasy Football: Running Backs - 8/27 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football: Late-Round Running Back Fliers - 8/24 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Fallout: Jordy Nelson Injury - 8/24 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Players to Target - 8/22 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Spreadsheets - 8/22 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Round-by-Round Strategy Guide - 8/20 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football: The Perfect Draft - 8/20 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Players to Avoid: LeSean McCoy - 8/18 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Values: Wide Receivers - 8/14 (Chet)
Daily Fantasy Football: Wide Receivers - 7/29 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Value Profile: Brian Quick - 7/22 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football Value Profile: Eli Manning - 7/17 (Walt)
Daily Fantasy Football: A Primer - 7/10 (Chet)
2015 Fantasy Football Value Profile: Jarvis Landry - 7/7 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Offseason Stock Report: Up - 5/15 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Offseason Stock Report: Down - 5/15 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football: First-Round Bust History - 2/17 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football: Overdrafted Players - 2/15 (Walt)
2015 Fantasy Football: Running Backs with Most Carries - 2/15 (Walt)
NFL Picks - Nov. 20
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 20
NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 19
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
