Fantasy analyst goes to bat for Panthers' Bryce Young amid criticism

The Carolina Panthers, namely Bryce Young, had an awful day in Week 1, and it hurt any fantasy managers who were banking on Young's evolution from last year and a theoretically good matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. But according to one analyst, it's not as bad as it seems.

Fantasy Bandits on X posted all the points left on the field by the Panthers' offense, with many different pass-catchers failing to come up with catches they maybe should have had. It, according to the analyst, left 150 passing yards and a touchdown off Young's final scoreline.

Some of the most egregious examples included:

Xavier Legette not getting a foot down in bounds (twice) for 35 yards
Tetairoa McMillan not catching a 35-yard TD
Hunter Renfrow dropping a 15-yard catch
Ja'Tavion Sanders dropping another 15 yards
Renfrow coming down out of bounds for another 20

All told, the analyst believes 150 yards should've been recorded as well as a touchdown. Some of them were absolute nitpicks, like McMillan's would-be long TD. He attempted and nearly made a one-handed catch. With two hands, he might've had it, but the defender made that nearly impossible, so it's hard to fault him.

Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) carries the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Young also missed some throws. He missed Renfrow for what could've been a touchdown on a slightly underthrown ball that led to a pass breakup. He missed others, including throwing it away on fourth-and-one.

An interception dinged off of Rico Dowdle's hands, too. Fantasy Bandits went on to say that the first interception might've been a route issue caused by Xavier Legette running into the defensive back, but it was still a bad decision.

But ultimately, through the ups and downs, this should showcase that the dreadful outing was maybe not quite as bad as the world seems to believe. It's been compared to his Week 1 and 2 outings last season, and if you look at the film, they couldn't be more different.

Still, Young has to be better. The drops or failures on the part of the receivers are only one part of the problem. The other is that Young missed throws he shouldn't have and made a couple of really ill-advised throws. That has to improve in Week 2 and on.

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