Rookie wide receiver Devin Funchess eventually broke through for the offense during the red zone period, hauling in a short touchdown pass from Newton on a quick out. It was one of several slick catches by the second-round pick.
"Funch, we keep seeing him improve every day," head coach Ron Rivera said. "He made a couple nice grabs. He’s got a long ways to go, but we were saying that last year about Kelvin (Benjamin)."
Funchess will be at best the third option in the passing game after Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen. The Panthers are run-oriented, so their WR2 isn’t typically much of a fantasy factor. If he plays starter’s snaps, he should be fantasy relevant, but we’re not expecting fantasy-starter numbers from the rookie.