Welcome Back Steve Smith

Broncos WR Brandon Marshall returned from his one game suspension to the tune of 18 receptions for 166 yards and a TD in Week 2 against San Diego. Don’t think for a second that Panthers fiery wide receiver Steve Smith wasn’t licking his chops thinking of his Week 3 return from suspension against the Minnesota Vikings. Read more

Fantasy Impact: J-Stewart Is Legit

He’s not the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, but he may rapidly become the most famous person named Jon Stewart - especially if he continues to run the way he did against Washington on Saturday night. Read more

Thomas Davis Predicts Career Year…

Since he entered the league as a rookie strong safety in 2005, we’ve known former Georgia product Thomas Davis can flat out play the game. Unfortunately, for IDP owners, he’s been stuck in Carolina as a strong side linebacker his entire career, which as prevented him the opportunities necessary to produce fantasy worthy numbers. However, we’ve received word that he’s moving to WLB in 2008, which means he could be a force to be reckoned with.

And he certainly thinks so. Recently, Davis told the media that he’s expecting a breakout career year in 2008. IDPers should keep an eye on this situation, because if he does in fact play the weak side, he will be a great fantasy sleeper in 2008.

Fantasy Impact: DeAngelo Williams

We love saying “I told you so.” After all, that’s the business we’re in, right? Helping you win your fantasy leagues. We should be able to say “I told you so” quite a bit. One point we have not waivered on - even when many have - is that DeAngelo Williams will be the starting and featured back for the Carolina Panthers in 2008. During preseason Week 1, he took a step towards the direction of making us look really good. Read more

Fantasy Impact: Steve Smith

Ever since his phenomenal breakout season in 2005, in which he racked up 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 TDs, something has held Steve Smith back from returning to that level. In 2006, it was nagging injuries that caused him to miss a couple games. In 2007, it was an early injury to signal caller Jake Delhomme that contributed to his slip in production. Entering, 2008, Smith has entered a whole new realm of issues - but will he bounce back? Read more

Carolina Panthers Offensive Update…

Word out of Carolina, is that there is a buzz surrounding the Panthers’ offense. Veteran WR Steve Smith is extremely pleased with the talent around him, including WRs Muhsin Muhammad, D.J. Hackett, Dwayne Jarrett, and especially veteran Jake Delhomme.

Smith reportedly shared with local media that Delhomme has been phenomenal since returning to practice from Tommy John surgery. Smith implied that Delhomme will be ready for the entire 2008 season, and that his ball hasn’t lost any zip.

We think Delhomme is a solid QB2 in deep formats.

D.J. Hackett Returns To Practice…

Panthers free agent acquisition D.J. Hackett returned to practice today from a knee injury that he suffered earlier in the week. While the injury does not appear to be serious, it’s still a concern that Hackett always seems to get banged up and miss time. We’ll keep a close eye on him leading into the season, as he could be an x-factor if he stays on the field.

D.J. Hackett Still Having Injury Issues?

Word out of Carolina is that new acquisition D.J. Hackett is still experiencing swelling in his knee that gave him trouble in 2006. An ankle injury sidelined him for most of 2007.

Muhsin Muhammad and Dwayne Jarrett have looked great, and Hackett - though it’s still early - can’t afford to fall behind.

Still, we like his work ethic and ability, and still consider him a solid WR3 sleeper, despite the nagging injury issues.

More On Jonathan Stewart…

If you’ve followed our content closely this off-season, you know that we’re not really that high on Panthers rookie RB Jonathan Stewart in terms of him making a real fantasy impact - due to the presence of DeAngelo Williams.

However, Rotoworld reports that one of the Panthers beat writers is saying that Stewart will handle the bulk of the rushing load this year for Carolina. We still find this very hard to believe, and we like rookie backs like Darren McFadden, Rashard Mendenhall, Kevin Smith, Matt Forte and Chris Johnson much better than Stewart.

Keep in mind, just a few weeks ago, Stewart was pegged as Carolina’s primary kick returner - not the job of a featured RB.

Jon Beason Recovering From Surgery…

Panthers MLB Jon Beason is apparently recovering from offseason wrist surgery. The star second year middle linebacker was an IDP force as a rookie, and likely will be again in 2008, but this injury is something to monitor, as it has kept him out of Panthers’ practices thus far this offseason.

Beason isn’t happy about being injured, so we suspect this is something he’d play through even if it were nagging him in the regular season. We’re not worried about it.

Jake Delhomme To Be Ready By Camp…

The Panthers got great news today when Jake Delhomme threw approximately 40 passes in practice, without pain or setback. The veteran underwent Tommy John surgery this offseason to repair his throwing elbow, and he’s looking and feeling great. He should be ready for training camp, and will be a solid sleeper fantasy QB2 in all formats in 2008.

Jonathan Stewart Injury Update…

Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart is no longer in his walking boot, and is expected to be fully healthy by July training camp.

The bad news is that he’ll miss all of June practices due to classes still being in session at Oregon. It’s admirable that he isn’t leaving school, but his absence will definitely affect the impact he’ll be able to make right away. We believe Stewart will have a learning curve at the pro level.