Fantasy Football Today - 🚨Darnold to the Panthers! Does This Matter? (04/05 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Episode Date: April 5, 2021

Can the Panthers get the most out of Sam Darnold? Does this affect D.J. Moore or Robby Anderson? Let's discuss! Follow the FFT in 5 podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to FFT. Follow our FFT team on Twitter: @FFToday, @AdamAizer, @JameyEisenberg, @daverichard, @heathcummingssr, @CTowersCBS, @BenSchragg Watch FFT on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCviK78rIWXhZdFzJ1Woi7Fg/videos Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/FantasyFootballToday/ Sign up for the FFT newsletter https://www.cbssports.com/newsletter You can listen to Fantasy Football Today on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Football Today podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Football Today podcast." To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ Want winning picks each morning in under 10 minutes? Follow 'The Early Edge: A Daily SportsLine Betting Podcast' on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever else you listen to podcasts. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An active NFL offseason continues with the Carolina Panthers acquiring Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold and Robbie Anderson reunion, baby! All right, three draft picks going to the Jets. A sixth-round pick this year and next year, 2022, a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder. Adam Azer with Dave Richard and Jamie Isenberg. Jamie, you just got done on CBS Sports HQ. Remember, everybody, when there's breaking news, turn on HQ. You'll see one of our FFT crew members

breaking down the big news. What'd you say on HQ, Jamie? Well, I brought up the fact of the players that have left Adam Gase and the success that they've had. I mean, the list is pretty impressive. Damian Williams, Ryan Tannehill, Kenyon Drake, Devante Parker, Mike Gusecki, Robbie Anderson, Kalen Balazs. Kalen Balazs of all people got better leaving Adam Gase actually looked like he can play in the NFL when he went to the chargers. But I mean, you know, hopefully the same thing happens to all the guys for the jets now that Gase is gone. But for Darnold, this is a, this is a great move, great move on both parts. You know, you're taking a chance on a quarterback. This is kind of shocking. Sam Darnold is still younger than Joe Burrow. So he has a

chance to still be successful after being in the league for three years. Look, he had a miserable experience. He's bad. He's played bad, you know. So getting the chance to play with Matt Rule and Joe Brady and DJ Moore and Robbie Anderson, again, a rejuvenated Robbie Anderson. With this move, you're assuming now that they're out of the mix to draft a quarterback, at least, you know, based on them being aggressive to get Sam Darnold.

So now this puts him in play to maybe get another weapon in the first round offensive line. But Kyle Pitts is somebody that I think would look great in this offense, you know, getting a chance to be that third pass catcher to replace Curtis Samuel. So, or maybe fourth, you know, if you factor Christian McCaffrey, obviously,

but there's a lot to like about the situation for Darnold going to Carolina. And hopefully he takes advantage of the situation. Dave, do you share this optimistic tone? I, I, I share it because I'm, I mean, how much worse could it really get for Sam Darnold going from the jets to, to Carolina, but I'm not expecting this to be a massive game changer for fantasy. I don't think this makes Sam Darnold a brilliant dynasty buy low or add or anything like that. And frankly, I'm a little nervous about what it might do

to the pass catchers in Carolina. I think it'll be good for McCaffrey. I think it might be a little dangerous for DJ Moore and Robbie Anderson just based on what we've seen for Sam Darnold. And the case in point for me is the adjusted completion percentages based on what we've seen for, for Sam Darnold. And the case in point for me is the adjusted completion percentages based on deep throws, intermediate throws and short throws.

And in all three of them, Teddy Bridgewater was better last year than Sam Darnold was. So Darnold's going to have to step in and play better, play more relaxed. And it can happen. This is a good offense for it to happen. They don't ask for their quarterback to do a whole hell of a lot, but Darnold's going to have to disperse the ball without making mistakes, period, end of story. It should be okay for him. I think it'll be okay for DJ Moore and Robbie Anderson, just not something that makes them better. I don't think this makes the Panthers that much better. Oh, I totally agree with that. I don't think this changes anything about how the Panthers are, but you're taking a chance on a former top five overall pick

who hopefully can live up to that pedigree. Now, that's the big question. Can he live up to that pedigree? And I'm sure a lot of Panthers fans are looking at this and saying, well, now they're out of the mix at eight for a quarterback. So does that mean that they can't get Trey Lance, that maybe they can't get Justin Fields, you know, the two guys that would be there,

assuming the 49ers make the strange pick of Mac Jones. So, you know, they still could do that. I mean, they still could obviously, you know, go out and get a rookie quarterback and say, this is our guy now, but a year from now or two years from now, then we find the answer like they may have done with Teddy Bridgewater to begin with. So I don't know if this is a huge upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater yet,

but again, you're banking on pedigree. And that's what the hope is, that Sam Darnold can live up to what his expectations were coming out of USC. And throw some touchdowns, please. You know, the Panthers actually had three top 28 wide receivers last year. Okay, Robbie Anderson was 28th in non and 20th in full PPR. DJ Moore was kind of the opposite, 18th in non PPR, 25th in full PPR. Anderson at 95 catches, Moorhead 66.

And Curtis Samuel was 23rd in non-PPR, 26th in PPR. I may have mixed that up. I don't think so, though. But he did have 200 yards and two touchdowns rushing. So that contributed. But with all that, you know, three receivers. He did that without McCaffrey for 13 games. Yeah, it's true.

But three receivers with 850 or more yards, and Teddy Bridgewater was only QB 19. And they didn't throw a lot of touchdowns. I keep bringing this up. They've thrown, I think, 33 touchdowns in the past two seasons combined, only 16 last year to 16 interceptions. So I know, Jamie, you kind of agreed with Dave that this wasn't necessarily a big improvement.

We don't know anyway. Let's see. Let's hope. Maybe he finds the fountain of non-gays. But what about just DJ Moore, Robbie Anderson? Do you move them up or down or stay the same in your rankings? No, stay the same. I don't think this changes things for them.

I think you look at, obviously, there's more targets available without Curtis Samuel there, so more opportunities for those guys to hopefully succeed. But it's the same story with these two guys. I mean, Anderson is seemingly looking a little bit better in PPR than non-PPR based on what you saw from last year. Obviously, DJ Moore has got to find the end zone more, not just from last year, but for his entire career. So there's still room to grow for both of these guys. The hope would be that Darnold is the person to make that happen because they're not changing their system. I mean, Joe Brady's going to alter some things, but you're bringing

back the biggest piece of this offense after missing 13 games. So McCaffrey changes things for the better for the team, maybe for the worst for the receivers by a smidge, but opens things up for sure. Again, I don't think that they're done. They can't be. Just David Moore is not the answer to their third receiver, the guy that they signed from Seattle. So they still have to do something. Kyle Pitts would be nice for Darnold, but Darnold just benefits from being in a better environment, better situation, not having the same expectations that he was being drafted third overall coming out of USC and not living up to that, especially when the two guys behind him in Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have done what they've done. So, you know, he's got to perform in this scenario.

You got to give the Panthers credit for not necessarily giving up too much to get a former first round pick top five overall pick who's still young and has a chance to turn things around. And the hope would be is that not necessarily the exact same Tannehill effect, but the Tannehill effect, the Gates effect. You know, a guy going to a different team after being a first-round flop, ironically enough, with the same coach, and getting a chance to get a do-over

in hopefully a better situation. I'm a little worried about Moore. We know that Darnold knows Anderson. We know that Moore doesn't get a lot of looks in the red zone to begin with. I don't see myself moving him down, but it'll be easier to do so. It'll be easier to move receivers

that I have below him ahead of him now if something changes to help any of those receivers. I think Jamie has to hop off. Feel free whenever. Dave, any effect on Christian McCaffrey? I think it could be positive on McCaffrey. I think it'll help him a lot.

I don't think asking Sam Darnold to throw to Christian McCaffrey will be a problem. That's the engine of this offense in Carolina. Anyway. All right. We'll talk more about this tomorrow. It doesn't seem like a huge fantasy impact. We haven't talked about the jets angle,

and this is significant because you didn't know who that Wilson angle. Well, but you didn't know if they drafted Zach Wilson, you didn't know who was going to be the week one starter. And I guess you still don't. If they, as they're a veteran out there, they could get at this point.

Bridgewater. Yes. Yeah. But it's looking more likely that a rookie will be the starter in week one for the New York. I think I did see one of the 49ers beat writers, maybe suggest a Garoppolo to the jets and Bridgewater to the 49ers. Okay.

And by the way, I saw on ESPN, Sam Darnold, the worst quarterback rating in the NFL since he entered the NFL. And the worst quarterback. What's that? Of all time? No, not all time. But last two years.

I mean, look, he's been bad. He's got to play better. But you got to give credit to a team taking an opportunity to not mortgage the house and mortgage farm and give up everything to get him and hopefully buying low on a guy that still has a lot of upside. It sounds to me like they would much rather not mortgage their future

for any of the quarterbacks that they weren't going to be able to, you know, they might not be in love with Jones or Fields or Lance. Right. And so they'll just say, all right, we'll just, we'll, we'll play it a little cheaper. And I don't know how cheap this was. I think they actually gave up a decent amount to get Darnold. Well, they didn't give up any first round pick. So that's right. But the second round pick is if you're reading the draft board, obviously the first three picks are quarterbacks. Four is the wild card, but the Falcons weren't going to trade with them unless they gave them

everything. Right. And then five and six the Falcons weren't going to trade with them unless they gave them everything. Right. And then five and six, the Dolphins weren't going to move again. Presumably. I don't think the Dolphins are going to move again. Right. Five is Cincinnati. Cincinnati could move.

Cincinnati could move. Atlanta should move. Yeah. A lot of intrigue there. A lot of Mac Jones to San Francisco. Really? I know that's the hot rumor right now. Yeah.

It sounds weird, right? It does sound weird. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well know that's the hot rumor right now. Yeah. It sounds weird, right? It does sound weird. Yeah. Okay. Well, that's it for this bonus pod. Number 13 of the offseason, or at least since free agency started. Or no, since the Dak Prescott signing. Number 13. We'll talk

to you tomorrow. We'll review this a little bit more and talk about some new offensive coordinators and what that means for running backs and whatnot. That's tomorrow. Talk to you then.