Devin Funchess

Fantasy Upside

Devin Funchess has the size and talent to develop into a solid outside possession receiver, but he’s yet to establish himself in his first two years in the league. He actually was less productive last year—along with the rest of the Panther offense—than he was as a rookie, catching only 23 passes for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, his nine total touchdowns in his first two seasons make him an interesting red zone option for quarterback Cam Newton, and he’ll enter the season with a starting job opposite Kelvin Benjamin, giving him some upside.

Fantasy Downside

Funchess’ lack of productivity thus far is concerning, and with an influx of new weapons on offense, including Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel, there may not be enough targets to go around for the third year player out of Michigan. He also duplicates some of Kelvin Benjamin’s skill set, and Greg Olsen will continue to get high target value from the TE position. With free agent acquisition Russell Shepard looming, Funchess will need to show some consistency early on to avoid losing snaps.

2017 Bottom Line

Funchess is a low-end fantasy option and his upside is probably limited to the fourth option in the passing game behind Olsen, Benjamin, and McCaffrey. Even if the Panthers put up big numbers on offense, it’s hard to imagine Funchess being a primary beneficiary. He has some deep league dynasty stash value is worth a late-round flier in deep leagues, but expectations should be low.

Super Bowl vs. Denver
Devin Funchess had a touchdown in the NFC Championship Game against the Cardinals and he’s looked much better later in the season than he did early in. Funchess only caught two passes for 21 yards though to go with his score, and he remains the third (at best) option in the Panther receiving corps. Against the league’s top defense in passing yards allowed this week, don’t expect Funchess to be particularly dominant. He’s a boom bust option in the Super Bowl and is more likely to end up being a bust in most leagues. Fantasy owners should use him with extreme caution, and would probably be better looking to Denver at the receiver position if possible.

Week 19 vs Seattle

Devin Funchess had his moments this season and finished the year fairly strong, including a seven catch, 120 yard performance against the Bucs, which included a 16 yard touchdown pass to end the regular season. Funchess scored five touchdowns in his last nine games and he’s definitely trending up on the roster.

This week may be too risky for the rookie out of Michigan however. He’ll face the league’s best pass defense, as no one allowed less touchdown passes to opposing teams this year than the Seahawks. Funchess has some upside, but he will find it tough going against a talented secondary and should be considered a very risky option in most leagues. Fantasy owners should probably avoid the risk.