Brandon LaFell

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah believes that QB Cam Newton is developing very good chemistry with third-year wide receiver Brandon LaFell:

Newton repeatedly hooked up with LaFell during every portion of practice. The young receiver was more fluid as a route-runner than he's been in the past and he was attacking the ball in the air. There is no disputing Steve Smith's status as the clear No. 1 weapon in this passing game, but I expect LaFell to have a breakout season in 2012. He finished last season with 36 catches for 613 yards and three touchdowns. As long he stays healthy, I can see him approaching the 1,000-yard mark this year.

During the first eight games of 2011, LaFell saw 3.0 targets per game and produced an average of 2.1 receptions for 35 yards and 0.25 TDs. Over the final eight games, he averaged 4.0 targets for 2.4-42-0.13, so there wasn't a big jump in production despite a 33% increase in targets. However his Fantasy Points / Target was 1.42, which ranked #16 out of 119 WRs with at least 30 targets in 2012. He is definitely a candidate for a breakout season if he gets true WR2 targets.