- Panthers running back Cam Newton had an efficient day going 16 of 24 for 273 yards and a touchdown with zero turnovers. The Panthers have had a great season, led by Newton, and have the pieces in place to be that good for a while which is great news for Newton dynasty owners.
- Jets running back Chris Ivory had 66 yards on 11 carries for an impressive 6.0 YPC. Ivory has the talent to be a RB2/3 in dynasty leagues going forward. He just needs a quarterback that won’t turn the ball over and keep it competitive.
- Panthers tight end Greg Olsen led the Panthers in targets with eight and hauled in five of those for 88 yards. Olsen continues to be Cam Newton’s most reliable target in the passing game and one of the few tight ends in the league that you know is going to see action every week.
- Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly had nine more tackles and a sack to continue to lead the way among all linebackers. He now has 122 tackles and two sacks on the year and, at just 22, is the top linebacker in all of dynasty.
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Dynasty Recap – Week 11 – Panthers slip by Patriots, 24-20
- Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had a ridiculous game, going 19 of 28 for just 209 yards but three touchdowns. He also added 62 yards on the ground. He’s a no-doubt, top five dynasty quarterback option.
- Patriots running back Shane Vereen caught eight passes for 65 yards and was the most targeted receiver for New England with 11. At just 24, Vereen could be locked in to this role for many years, provided New England re-signs him after 2014.
- Panthers receiver Brandon LaFell had another nice game with seven catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. He was also tied for most targets. Don’t get too excited, however, as LaFell is a free agent after this year and Carolina will surely look for an upgrade/heir apparent for Steve Smith.
- New England defensive end Rob Ninkovich had two more sacks and a team-high nine tackles. It’s his third straight game with a sack as it looks like he’s finally turning on the jets. Keep monitoring his progress but, at this rate, Ninkovich should be a DL2 in your dynasty league.
- Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly is also turning it in as he had 12 more tackles last night to give him 87 on the year. He’s firmly locked in as a LB1 in dynasty circles.
Dynasty Recap – Week 10 – Panthers slip by 49ers, 10-9
- 49ers running back Frank Gore had 82 yards on 16 carries fora 5+ YPC. Makes you wonder why San Francisco didn’t turn to Gore more. However, for dynasty purposes, Gore is already 30 and has one year left on his contract. You’d be wise to trade him off for an asset now.
- 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw for 91 yards on 50% passing, exposing what happens when San Francisco had zero weapons to work with after Vernon Davis’ concussion. Kap is a definite buy-low candidate until the 49ers addresses its receivers issue.
- Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly led the Panthers with one of their six sacks and had 11 tackles and one pass defended.
- Not to be outdone, 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks had three sacks on the day to bring his total to 6.5. At 29 and signing an extension before 2012, Brooks will be in the same situation that has brought him continued success so he could be a name to fill your LB2/3 position.
Dynasty Recap – Week 9 – Panthers down Falcons,
- With the return of Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers running game is back to being a hot mess. They ran the ball 33 times but the leading rusher only had 13 carries. It’s really a situation to avoid unless any personnel changes occur.
- Atlanta receiver Harry Douglas had another good day with three receptions for 82 yards. Keep an eye on Douglas as a dynasty prospect. Roddy White will be 33 next year and carry a $5 million cap number. If Atlanta is going to address its defense, White may be a cap casualty.
- Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly had eight tackles, a pass defended and an interception. Hopefully, Kuechly can keep the production up to warrant his high dynasty grade.
Dynasty Recap – Week 8 – Panthers down Bucs, 31-13
- Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon just couldn’t get anything going last night. Down early, Glennon ended up with 51 pass attempts but only threw for 275 yards for an anemic 5.4 YPA. It’s quickly becoming apparent that the Bucs will be in need of a quarterback in the upcoming draft.
- Fellow Bucs rookie Mike James didn’t fare much better. He only had 10 carries for 39 yards but did see five targets and pulled in four catches. for 25 yards. James did nothing to carve out more playing time when Doug Martin returns.
- Meanwhile, the Panthers continue to run the ball well with Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams, and Mike Tolbert each averaging over 4.5 YPC. Tolbert will probably be the one without a chair when Jonathan Stewart returns.
- Bucs linebacker Lavonte David was bright spot on defense with 12 tackles, one sack and two tackles for a loss. David is one of the premier rushing linebackers in the league and would make a fine LB1/2 for many years.
- On the other side of the field, Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly continues his slow, but steady, pace with eight more tackles. Unless he goes on a run he won’t match last years tackle numbers but he’s still got as many interceptions as he did last year already. His stock may never be lower but it’s still higher than most.
Dynasty Linebacker Rankings – Top Tier
After just calculating the amalgamated linebacker rankings, it’s clear there’s a top tier of five. Luke Kuechly of Carolina is the consensus #1 no matter what rankings you’re looking at. The combination of his age (22) and the fact that he’ll be a three-down back on a pretty bad team means he should see plenty of opportunities to be right in the action for many years to come.
The next two spots are interchangeable and include San Francisco’s NaVorro Bowman and St. Louis’ James Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis is another three-down back playing the middle. He seemingly had his hands on everything – four passes defended, two interceptions and 117 solo tackles to go with 25 assists. The guy is a beast and is only ranked lower than Kuechly because of his age (26). The same could be said of Bowman who actually had more total tackles than Laurinaitis (148-142), more sacks (2.0-0.5), more passes defended (6-4). He’s also a year younger (25-26). If you put a gun to my head and told me to pick one, I’d go with Bowman.
The next two include Seattle’s Bobby Wagner, with a similar resume than Laurinaitis and Bowman but is just 23.
Next is the first outside linebacker of the group, Lavonte David. The second year linebacker from Tampa Bay is just 23 and has the potential to rack up sacks with 19 tackles for a loss in his rookie season.
Bottom line is you can’t go wrong if one of these guys is your lead LB for the next five years.
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