We at Razzball realize that exporting our views across the country has damaging consequences on the blogosphere. To help make amends, we are reaching out to leading team blogs and featuring their locally blogged answers to pressing 2010 fantasy football questions regarding their team. We feel this approach will be fresher, more sustainable, and require less energy consumption (for us anyway). The 2010 Carolina Panthers Fantasy Football Preview comes courtesy of Cat Crave.
1. There has been some talk of Jimmy Clausen competing for the starting job or possibly coming in later in the season. Â Matt Moore finished the season strong and got the new contract. Â Is there any way Clausen sees the field this season as long as Moore stays healthy?
I don’t see Jimmy Clausen taking over as the starting quarterback at any point this season, unless Moore and Cantwell get hurt — that is, if Cantwell can stave off Clausen throughout training camp and keep the No. 2 job backing up Moore. The only way Clausen might see time as the starting quarterback, is if Moore’s performance is equal to or worse than Jake Delhomme’s was last year, which considering the defenses he played against, most notably Minnesota’s, I don’t see Moore’s production dropping that much, if at all. In addition, Moore has been touted by many fantasy experts as a sleeper pick for this year.
2. Many fake football players are trying to read the tea leaves when it comes to this year’s production from the Panthers’ two outstanding backs, Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Â How do you see the workload being split this season?
I see the workload being split the same way as it was last year, as close to 50/50 as possible. I’m a little concerned about Stewart’s mysterious injury, two weeks after Stew stated he was 100%, but this Achilles heel has been an underlying issue every training camp, and I don’t think there’s anything to really worry about there.
3. Steve Smith put up better numbers with Moore at the helm last season than Delhomme. Â Do you believe he will continue that trend this season?
So long as Smith can stay healthy, I definitely think he can put up better numbers than he did last season. Smith is the bell cow receiver on offense. A lot of experts say that because the Panthers are a heavily run-oriented team, that it affects Smith’s draft value. I think it makes Smith more of a steal in the second- and third-rounds, as he always seems to put up solid numbers when he’s healthy, regardless of the offensive attack.
4. Coach Fox has been known not to start rookies if he can help it. Â Does Brandon LaFell start the season across from Smith or does Dwayne Jarrett hold him off?
That definitely depends on Jarrett’s progression in his fourth year with this team. Until now, Jarrett’s not really been given a real chance, having Muhsin Muhammad to compete against for the No. 2 job. Which makes sense, because I’d definitely go with the older, proven receiver over a guy who hasn’t really shown enough drive to seriously be considered a contender for a starting spot. Now there are no excuses for Jarrett. It’s his job to lose, and thus-far rookie wideout Brandon LaFell has been building a strong case against Jarrett for the No. 2 receiver job. If Jarrett’s serious, he’s going to really have to try a lot harder than he has been the first full week of training camp.
5. Armanti Edwards is intriguing. Â His conversion from quarterback to wide receiver seems to be going well. Â With the state of the Panthers’ receivers do you see him making an impact this season?
Edwards is definitely intriguing. He’s been compared to a second-coming of Steve Smith because of his size and dare I say, incendiary speed (shown in college). But he’s also a rookie and so far he’s not really latching onto the receiver plays and tasks. Plus, the heat in training camp is getting to him as well. I don’t think it’s anything to get too worried about, because when you consider he’s a rookie, then you have to figure the nuances of learning a new position, playing at the next level, and all the pressures and stress that go with it, will wear him down some. I don’t see him making much of an impact early on, but as the season wears on, I say by early-to-mid October, we’ll see a different player than we saw at training camp in Spartanburg.
