The Panthers aren’t expected to win much in 2020. Our projections have them going 6-10 and finishing in last place in the NFC South again. That’s on the generous end of most predictions too – some have Carolina going 3-13. So, fans will have to take what pleasures they can in watching their squad this year. For many, that means enjoying some of the team’s promising young pieces develop into stars.
One name to watch is wide receiver D.J. Moore, who has been named the most underrated player on the Panthers roster this year by Cynthia Frelund at NFL.com.
“Moore quietly ranked ninth in the NFL in receiving yards (1,175), with all four of his games of 100-plus receiving yards coming after Week 8. Further, he tied for fifth in receiving first downs (63). For fun, I’ll note that Moore had more receiving yards than DeAndre Hopkins and Stefon Diggs. For nerdiness, I’ll note that Moore’s win-contribution metric ranked 16th among wide receivers in 2019.”
It’s wild to see that Moore totaled more yards than Hopkins and Diggs considering the context.
Remember, Moore was handicapped as much as any WR1 in the league due to poor quarterback performance. Cam Newton was not healthy during the first two games of the season, then Moore and the rest of the receivers had to suffer through 12 games of Kyle Allen and two more from Will Grier. It’s tough to argue any team had worse QB play than the Panthers with one possible exception. In the end, Allen ranked No. 31 in average net yards per passing play (5.5), tying Daniel Jones and Mason Rudolph. Among starters, only Mitchell Trubisky was worse (5.2).
This year, Moore will get a massive upgrade with Teddy Bridgewater throwing his way. While he’s not going to challenge Patrick Mahomes for the average net yards title, Bridgewater excels at throwing to the short and intermediate areas of the field where Moore does most of his work.
Throw in the Year 3 leap that many first-round wide receivers make, and we can expect an explosive, breakout season from No. 12.
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