The Panthers are in vast need of receiving talent now that their lead receiver Kelvin Benjamin is out for the season. Benjamin tore his ACL, leaving rookie Devin Funchess as Carolina’s main receiving threat and it’s a perfect storm for Greg Olsen to be a dominant tight end this year.
No one is going to deny Gronk as being the number one tight end, but you can expect Olsen to surpass Jimmy Graham and become the number 2 by the end of the season. Graham is going to see less yardage and targets in Seattle’s run first offense, while this year Olsen is going to be force-fed the ball. In the third preseason game Olsen was targeted by Cam Newton eight times in just the first half.
Last season Benjamin had 73 catches and a huge 146 targets. Targets lead to opportunities and opportunities lead to fantasy points. Those targets have to go somewhere and Olsen will be a main beneficiary of them. Funchess is a very raw player returning from an injury and with the little we have seen from him it looks like his hands could use some work. With Cam behind a weak offensive line and no other reliable targets Olsen will become his safety blanket.
During three of Cam Newton’s four seasons Olsen has been targeted over 100 times. The lack of a true receiving threat in Carolina could leave Olsen as the most targeted tight end in the league. His PPR value is real. You can treat Olsen as a wide receiver at the tight end position and know he will produce week to week. His floor is higher this year than other tight end’s ceilings and in all but one of his eight seasons he has scored at least 5 touchdowns, which can be expected to improve upon this year.
Currently going in the 5th round of 12 team drafts, he is a great deal. He offers weekly advantage at the positions and a stress free “set and forget” option all season long.
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