The dust is beginning to settle on the Kelvin Benjamin injury for the Carolina Panthers. The team has lost their No.1 receiver for the season after an ACL tear took the second-year pro out. Now head coach Ron Rivera is tasked with re-working some of the offense with current players on the roster. The run game will be a major focus for the team while it is an area that Panthers are deep in. So whose stock is going up with Benjamin out?
According to head coach Ron Rivera, he is very confident in the players the Panthers currently have on the roster. While many believe Carolina will look to add another player off the free agent market, Rivera believes they have depth at the wide receiver position and talent at the run game to get past the loss of Benjamin. Ted Ginn Jr supports that idea.
"This is the NFL. We're in a league where if a man goes down, a man has to step up," Ginn said, via ESPN.com. "We're pretty loaded all the way around between the Z, the F and the X. We all gotta go out and play hard. The coaches are the ones that have to mastermind the scheme. We just gotta go out and play. That's all we can do."
So who is the next man up for the Panthers? With a lack of a true No.1 receiver on the roster, the run game is about to be a big hit for the Panthers. Jonathan Stewart is the team's leading rusher and will be the man in charge come Week 1. According to NFL.com, Stewart is a fantasy home run and someone that will help Cam Newton get out of some jams this season. Behind Stewart is talented depth that could all see playing time. Fozzy Whittaker and Mike Tolbert return to the roster while rookie Cameron Artis-Payne is earning rave reviews as he has the hands to excel at the spot.
Rookie Devin Funchess could be the biggest fantasy sleeper pick this season. With Benjamin out, he moves up to the No.1 spot on the depth chart by default. The Panthers have players like Ginn and Jarrett Boykin that will make some noise, but Funchess has the pressure on his shoulders following getting drafted in the second round this year. Funchess is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, but is expected to be on the field come next week. He could end up being the team's leading receiver in 2015.
