Heading into Week 4, the Carolina Panthers have one of the top offenses in the NFL. Even with the letdown on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, the unit ranks seventh in yards per game (392.7) and they're tied with the Chicago Bears for fifth in scoring (29.7 points per game).
To whom can we attribute this awesome start? It's certainly not the Panthers' offensive line, which has blocked poorly for the run more often than not and is allowing more pressures than any other trench in the league thus far.
It's not their ground game, either—as running back Chuba Hubbard ranks 15th in rushing yards and has just one rushing touchdown through three games.
No, this quantum leap forward offensively is all about the passing game—and even though quarterback
Bryce Young had a rough go in Week 3, he still ranks fourth in fantasy scoring among quarterbacks, per Mike Kaye at ESPN. Kaye writes:
Despite a somewhat underwhelming Week 3 performance, Young is averaging 313 passing yards and 2.3 passing touchdowns per game in 2026. That has made him the QB4 in fantasy, behind Josh Allen, Brock Purdy and Tyler Shough. An impressive start considering Young was the QB18 in ADP. Young is up 1.5 yards per passing attempt from 2025 to 2026. While he is not rushing as much as he has in the past, he has one rushing TD on three carries this season.
Just imagine what Young could do with a solid offensive line and a wide receiver corps that hasn't been hammered by injuries.
The emergergence of wide receiver Jalen Coker has certainly helped, but the Panthers aren't getting much from the rest of that corps. 2025 first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan got shut down by Browns cornerback Denzel Ward on Sunday and hasn't scored a touchdown yet. 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette caught one 55-yard bomb in Week 2—but otherwise, has only added nine yards. Plus, 2026 third-rounder Chris Brazzell II is out for the year on injured reserve.
At least Carolina's tight ends are a much bigger part of the offense this year—and for that, we have to give credit to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, who seems to have more potential than any offensive play-caller the Panthers have had since Joe Brady.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: ESPN: Panthers' Bryce Young among top-5 QBs in fantasy football
