Busts on the Carolina Panthers

Busts can ruin your fantasy team's drive to a championship. Our staff searches for them on the Panthers.

Footballguys Staff's Busts on the Carolina Panthers Footballguys Staff Published 07/02/2025

© Brett Davis-Imagn Images busts

The following feature is a free preview of our content. If you like it, click here to sign up for access to our Footballguys Subscription, and you'll get all of our content. We're so confident you'll love it that we offer an industry-leading 30-day Money-Back Guarantee, ensuring zero risk.

RELATED: See More Like This here.


As we race toward August, Footballguys.com will examine one team per weekday with our quick-hitting Team Sleepers feature. These players might not be complete busts, but we will be highlighting players our staff thinks will disappoint this year and underperform their average draft position (ADP).

Go Deeper: See in-depth projections for every Panthers player here >>>

This is a weekday series that will stretch through August 1. If you like this and want another, come back the next workday. Another will be here.

Please note that our staff has identified the players listed below. The official Footballguys stance for every Panther can be found on our projections page.

Busts on the Carolina Panthers

Reasons WR Adam Thielen Could Be a Bust

  • Jeff Bell: We all love Thielen's story, but at age 35, reaching a WR65 ADP would be a disappointing outcome, considering the franchise's investments in young receivers. 
  • Jeff Haseley: With the addition of McMillan, Thielen's usage will likely drop off, making him a less attractive option for your starting lineup.
  • Mauricio Gutierrez: Time catches up with nearly everyone. The addition of Tetairoa McMillan likely blocks any path to meaningful production this season. 
  • Phil Alexander: He should outperform his ADP, but not meaningfully. Likely to end the year as the Panthers' WR3. If that doesn't sound helpful, it's because it's not.
  • David Zacharias: Thielen's role may be more as a young receiver mentor than a WR4 producer.
Already a subscriber?

Continue reading this content with a 100% FREE Insider account.

By signing up and providing us with your email address, you're agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive emails from Footballguys.
Photos provided by Imagn Images
Share This Article

More by Footballguys Staff

 

Everything Season Long and DFS for the Divisional Round

Your landing page for all of our weekly fantasy football content.

01/13/26 Read More
 

Vegas Value Chart: Divisional Weekend

John Lee

Examining Vegas NFL odds to pinpoint targets for this week's DFS lineups.

01/13/26 Read More
 

2026 Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Head-to-Head Superflex

Mike Kashuba

Jeff Bell and Mike Kashuba draft head-to-head in a 2026 dynasty rookie mock draft. An early look at the 2026 class.

01/12/26 Read More
 

Injury Roundup from Wildcard Weekend

Adam Hutchison

A Monday morning recap of the fantasy-football-relevant injuries from last week's NFL games.

01/12/26 Read More
 

Everything Season Long and DFS for Wild Card Weekend

Your landing page for all of our weekly fantasy football content.

01/12/26 Read More
 

Cracking FanDuel: Wildcard

Devin Knotts

Devin Knotts breaks down his Wildcard thoughts while giving you the top GPP plays.

01/10/26 Read More