Carolina Panthers: Stop Relying on Jonathan Stewart

Stewart is the Carolina Panthers number one running back, but the writing is on the wall. Carolina must stop relying on his production and fantasy owners should as well.

Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

The Carolina Panthers were a fantastic story last year. There is a chance they are an elite team once again in 2016. But I do not believe in their number-one running back, Jonathan Stewart. I am out on Stewart.

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Not only was 2015 a storybook season for Carolina; it was for Stewart as well to a degree. He saw a career-high 242 carries, the first time since his sophomore season back in 2009 where he topped 200 carries. Yet his yards-per-carry average cratered to 4.1 and he got hurt yet again. There have been two overarching trends to Stewart’s eight year career: he can’t stay healthy and when he does, he is still kind of overrated.

Stewart has played in 16 games just three times. He has averaged below 4.5 yards per carry in four different seasons, including last season. He has 16 combined rushing touchdowns over his last six years. He has just one season where he was even competent as a receiver out of the backfield.

All that plays against him, plus he shares a backfield with the best rushing quarterback in the NFL in Cam Newton. And yet, fantasy projections have Stewart ranked higher than Newton. He is actually ranked higher than every QB in the league according to ESPN.com. I can’t foresee any circumstance in which I’d feel comfortable grabbing Stewart as my starting fantasy running back over my choice of any quarterback in the sport.

Is there any way he reaches even 200 carries again? We already know he gets his rushing touchdowns vultured and is not an asset in the passing game. Even if he plays all 16 games, I don’t see his production eclipsing or even reaching that of last season for an offense that should trend more to the air attack with the return of Kelvin Benjamin.

In a year of shaky running back options across the NFL, Stewart may be one of the shakiest despite his position as a clear-cut number one on a good team’s depth chart. That just speaks to how little we can count on him in any individual season.

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) runs the ball against Denver Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (94) during the third quarter in Super Bowl 50 at Levi /

DAN:

Stewart is not only the number one running back on last season’s most dominant team, but the Panthers were second in the NFL in rushing last year averaging 142.6 yards per game. None the less, Stewart failed to put up over 1,000 yards and barely found the endzone. Cam Newton was an infinitely more productive rusher and I would not want the top rusher on my fantasy football team merely averaging 76.1 yards per game. The combo was great for Carolina, but that’s about it.

Ultimately I’m torn on Stewart’s impact in 2016. He will play his role in Carolina’s offense perfectly. They don’t need him to rush for more than 75 yards each game, with Newton also putting up nearly 40 yards on the ground each week. As you noted, this will likely be an offense which favors the pass and leans on its defense. Stewart needs to eat up clock more than yards. So what should fantasy football owners do with Stewart?

I like Stewart as my second running back and would never select him over a top twenty quarterback. Because we play with the option for two QBs, I would even take two passers before I drafted Stewart. His value as a running back is high, only because too many other teams are splitting time between two unproven players. This does not make his value higher to your fantasy team, however.

It’s true that you need running backs on your fantasy team, but you need to put up the most points first and foremost. Drafting Stewart may net you a 1,000 yard running back, but that same player is only going to score five or six touchdowns on the entire year. Instead draft your quarterback and select some other rusher who can get in the endzone more often.

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If Stewart’s history is any indication, he’ll record around 900 yards this season on the ground, averaging around four yards per carry. The issue here is a lack of touchdowns. That’s where the real fantasy points are, and Stewart simply does not find the endzone. Look for a better option and let your opponents put their faith in Carolina’s man.

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