Underrated 2025 Fantasy Football Offenses: Titans and Panthers Offer Great Value

Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans sit as prime buy-low offenses in fantasy football this upcoming season.
Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates after a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates after a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In the NFL, every season a couple of teams manage to exceed expectations as breakout forces in the league. Last season, those teams were the Washington Commanders and Denver Broncos. Two years ago, it was the Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Rams. This season, that will surely happen again. So... who is it?

Carolina Panthers

I was very bullish on the Panthers last season. Turns out, I was a year too early. As the season went on, they showed much improvement in a season that that saw progression throughout . Their late season results included: 30-27 near upset of Kansas City, 22-16 near upset of Philadelphia, 36 points on Arizona and 44 points on Atlanta. Dave Canales is cooking up something with Bryce Young.

By no means did Bryce Young light it up last year, but he appeared a lot more composed. His stat line laid with a better 15:9 TD:INT ratio and a 82.2 passer rating. Canales made it easy on Young in an effort to up his confidence and it is starting to show.

Chuba Hubbard went for a near-1,200-yard season with 10 TDs while missing two games. Prior to 2024, Hubbard was not considered anything special — just an average backup. Dave Canales loved pushing the rock first in Tampa Bay and it showed in Carolina. Hubbard received a four-year extension and is primed to remain a key piece in Carolina.

Carolina ran much of a spread offense last year. No one popped, but everyone contributed. Jalen Coker — a nice deep cut rookie. Adam Thielen — a trusty veteran. Xavier Legette showed promise as well. Now they add Tetairoa McMillan to the fold and it is now time for Bryce Young to air it out. McMillan can catch those 1v1 balls and inject further confidence into the passing game. So, who do we like in fantasy football?

Tetairoa McMillan should be a prime WR in this rising offense. I foresee a 1,000 yard upside as a huge red zone target — flashes of Mike Evans.

Chuba Hubbard projects as a player of high usage. Behind an elite offensive-line, the value is tremendous.

Xavier Legette is still a deeper cut, but he provides optimism. As McMillan is WR1, Legette is opened up to facing CB2s. As a first round pick, he may have great FLEX appeal.

Tennessee Titans

Another offense I am bullish on is the Tennessee Titans. Brian Callahan enters year two of his head coaching stint and last season he showed why he was a key item as the Bengals reached the Super Bowl.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine went for nine touchdowns. Yes, nine. Few people would have projected him to have more than two. Calvin Ridley also went for 1,000 yards while Tony Pollard reached the same mark on the ground.

This offense was a bunch of new pieces trying to mold together and Callahan made it work as best as he could. Now that they add Cam Ward, they will continue to climb the ladder to excellence.

The Titans add a veteran weapon in Tyler Lockett. Though Westbrook-Ikhine is gone, Lockett is probably a better player and thus, he may offer much upside to his game.

The Titans went out in free agency and signed Kevin Zeitler from Detroit and Dan Moore Jr. from Pittsburgh. All of a sudden, this offensive line looks very compact while Cam Ward steps into an upcoming offense. Who are our targets on Tennessee?

Cam Ward is a sleeper pick and can buy low in late rounds, if not post-draft free agency. He will use his legs at times and under protection, he shall find his weapons. I would, however, label Ward as a better dynasty asset than re-draft.

Calvin Ridley has looked like a prime WR over all his years in the league. This should remain into this season. He has a solid role within this offense and they will let it fly to Ridley. As the teams top receiver, the sky is the limit should the Titans get rolling.

Tyler Lockett will be the number two in this offense. In any good offense, a number two provides value. If they let Westbrook-Ikhine gets nine touchdowns, imagine what Lockett can do? He is a nice bench piece with FLEX upside.

Tony Pollard sits behind a much improved offensive line. They may very well become a top-10 line in the league. Should that become reality, Pollard will build on his 1,000 yard season.

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Thomas Carelli
THOMAS CARELLI

Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.