Bryce Young Fantasy Overview

2025 Role & Results

Production & Fantasy Finishes

Young totaled 3,011 passing yards with 23 TDs and 11 INTs across 16 games last year, ranking 21st in yardage and tying for 14th in TDs.

He added a 54-216-2 rushing line to finish 26th among QBs in fantasy points per game.

Young spiked for three top-5 scoring weeks but cracked the top 12 just two other times. He finished outside the top 20 QBs in 10 of his 16 outings.

Usage & Role

Young ranked 14th league-wide in pass attempts, including 12th in red-zone attempts and 10th in throws into the end zone.

But Young’s 6.9-yard average target depth ranked 36th among 41 qualifying QBs, and he finished just 19th in total air yards.

Young’s 54 carries were good for 14th at the position.

He ranked 24th in expected fantasy points per game.

Efficiency & Regression

Young completed a respectable 63.6% of his passes, but the low average target depth helped inflate that number. He ranked just 22nd among 42 qualifying QBs in completion rate over expected and 34th with 6.3 yards per attempt.

Young’s Pro Football Focus passing grade ranked 27th.

He at least posted a 4.8% TD rate, good for 17th among those 42 qualifiers.

Offensive Context

The 2025 Panthers finished 27th in total yards and points. It was a run-leaning offense that leaned even further in that direction after the opening few games.

From Week 4 on, Carolina ranked:

• 24th in pass rate (52.7%)
• 30th neutral pass (49.8%)
• 30th in PROE (-5.7%)

Young averaged 14.4 fantasy points per game over that stretch, down from 16.0 over the first three weeks.

Historical Production & Trends

Young has struggled in three seasons since going No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft.

His rookie season was woeful: a 59.8% completion rate, 5.5 yards per attempt, 11 TDs vs. 10 INTs.

He’s improved to merely bad over the last two years, averaging 6.3 yards per attempt in each with 38 total TDs vs. 20 INTs. But even over that stretch, he ranks:

• 32nd among 40 qualifiers in completion rate
• 37th in yards per attempt
• 34th in adjusted yards per attempt
• 35th in passing success rate
• 33rd in passer rating

Young’s finishes in fantasy points per game:

• 2023: 42nd
• 2024: 28th
• 2025: 26th

Injury History & Durability

Young suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 7 last year but missed just one game.

He also missed one game with a sprained ankle as a rookie in 2023.

2026 Opportunity & Projection

Projected Role & Competition

Young returns as Carolina’s starter this season. The Panthers picked up his fifth-year option in April, keeping him under contract through 2027.

Carolina made a change behind Young, replacing Andy Dalton with Kenny Pickett.

Supporting Cast

The Panthers return last year’s top seven targets, led by WR Tetairoa McMillan. He’s coming off a 70-1,014-7 rookie season in which he ranked 23rd among 76 qualifying WRs in PFF receiving grade. McMillan already looks like a legitimate No. 1 WR and could be better in Year 2.

Carolina will hope to get a healthier season from WR Jalen Coker, who missed the first six games of last year. He averaged 47 yards over his final seven regular-season games, though, and then went off for a 9-134-1 line in the playoff loss to the Rams.

The Panthers added WR Chris Brazzell in Round 3 of this spring’s draft. The 6’4, 198-pounder was one of the top deep threats in the WR class, averaging 15.2 yards per catch in college. He’s probably not ready for a high-volume role but could prove to be an instant upgrade over WR Xavier Legette, who’s been a massive bust through two NFL seasons.

This WR corps looks like it’s ascending, but it’s still unlikely to be better than league average this year.

The TE room looks even less exciting: A hodgepodge of Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders, and Mitchell Evans.

Carolina also has a big question mark at LT after Ikem Ekwonu ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee in the playoff loss to the Rams. He’s expected to be sidelined for 9-12 months, likely costing him some or most of the 2026 campaign.

The Panthers signed Rasheed Walker to a one-year, $4 million deal in free agency and spent the 19th pick of this spring’s draft on Monroe Freeling as potential fill-ins for Ekwonu. But Young’s blindside protection is a question.

Carolina also lost C Cade Mays to Detroit in free agency. He’s expected to be replaced by Luke Fortner, who has been subpar across four NFL seasons.

Coaching & Offensive Scheme

HC Dave Canales and OC Brad Idzik return for their third season running the Panthers offense. The results have been underwhelming so far:

• 2024: 29th in total yards, 23rd in points
• 2025: 27th in total yards, 27th in points

Canales spent 2023 as the Buccaneers' OC. That team and the 2024 Panthers ran balanced offenses, ranking 15th and 11th, respectively, in pass rate.

Canales shifted run-heavy last year, with the Panthers finishing 23rd in pass rate. Unless Young improves significantly this season, expect a similar run-pass split.

Paths To Ceiling

A decent-enough WR corps and Young’s modest rushing production (career 15.6 yards per game) give him a path to a higher-end QB2 finish. He’ll simply need to play a lot better to get there.

Risk Factors

We already saw Young get benched for a few games in 2024. If he doesn’t improve this year, he might not last the season as Carolina’s starter.