2004 FANTASY FOOTBALL TEAM PREVIEW: PANTHERS
BY RICK SERRITELLA 7/22/04

Quarterback: After a journey which took him from NFL Europe to
starting in the Super Bowl Jake Delhomme earned himself a five-year,
$38 million dollar contract extension from the Panthers in the off-
season. In a move that was highly criticized around the league, many
felt that it was undeserving after just one successful NFL season.
To his credit he did revive the team after taking over for the
ancient Rodney Peete as the starter and lead them to an NFC
Championship. He was a nice fantasy surprise as he completed nearly
60% of his passes on his way to throwing for 3,219 yards and 19
touchdowns. As far as his fantasy status I would compare him to Troy
Aikman, he isn't going to put up earth shattering numbers but he will
always give you a solid performance.

Running Back: In another surprising development Stephen Davis
rejuvenated his career hushing critics that said he was washed up.
After being released by the Redskins, John Fox immediately grabbed
him to be his grind-it-out workhorse back. Davis fit the bill
perfectly as he punished defenses for a career high 1,444 yards.
After a great first season in Carolina he is expected to see fewer
carries as he showed signs of wearing down at the end of the season.
The coaching staff was impressed with DeShaun Foster's abilities in
spot duty and is expected to serve as a change of pace back and could
be a decent fantasy reserve. He saw increased playing time as the
season went on and displayed good hands coming out of the backfield.

Wide Receiver: The Panthers have a pair of receivers who could step
into the spotlight as the main guy. They are Mushin Muhammad and
Steve Smith. Muhammad has topped 1,000 yards twice in his career and
has been a constant in Carolina's passing scheme averaging 937 yards
over the past six seasons despite occasional injuries. He came alive
in their drive to the post-season flashing the talents that made him
one of the league's premier receivers during the 1999-2000 seasons.
Smith is coming off his first 1,000 yard season starting in just
eleven games. He has the playmaking ability to elevate his game to
the next level as he should continue to increase his productivity.
Ricky Proehl enters his fifteenth NFL season and provides stability
as the team's third receiver. He will battle a pair of newcomers to
hold onto his position, rookies Keary Colbert and Drew Carter are
speedy wide outs who could inject a nice bolt with their youth and
supplant the veteran giving the right kind of mix for a great recipe.

Tight End: The team is happy with Kris Mangum as their tight end.
He is a top blocking tight end but doesn't offer much as far as
receiving. He has been a starter for parts of four seasons and has
never had 20 catches in a single year. Seventh round draft choice
Michael Gaines has good hands and is agile despite being 6'3 and
weighing 280 pounds. He could be a possible receiving option or
could wind up being converted into a tackle.

Fantasy Stud: Stephen Davis – Will be hard to duplicate a repeat
performance of 2003 but will remain a top fantasy back.

Fantasy Dud: Kris Mangum – A pure blocking tight end and that's it.

Fantasy Sleeper: Keary Colbert – Could bolster the passing game and
might be able to provide you with a few surprise weeks. Has
touchdown potential and would make a good keeper league pick if you
can afford to wait for his development.


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