Jason Avant

Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant's lack of preseason production in limited action doesn't concern head coach Ron Rivera one bit.

"Everything Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant have done for us is exactly what we're looking for," Rivera said. "We're looking for very consistent football players who run good routes and know where they need to be. They can handle things and control things in the classroom and on the field, and that's what those two guys bring to the table."

In three preseason games, Cotchery has just one catch for eight yards and Avant has one reception for 25 yards.

"Go back and look at the targets – that's the biggest thing," Rivera said.

Cotchery has been targeted just three times and Avant only two.

All that said, Cotchery cautioned those who read too much into preseason production.

"I don't put too much stock in it as far as what your numbers look like, because I've seen guys catch 100 yards every game in the preseason and then in the regular season you wonder where the production is," Cotchery said. "For that matter, (preseason) is a focus of just getting better individually and staying on top of your assignments."

Carolina's WRs are a big question mark coming into the season. WR1 Kelvin Benjamin has looked good but is a rookie. Cotchery quietly had 10 TDs last season and Avant has very good hands as a slot receiver. But Newton has been banged up with ankle and rib issues, and as the story points out, there wasn't a lot of live work in the preseason games. Benjamin is a sleeper-type addition later in fantasy drafts and Newton's stock has fallen a bit to a lower-end QB1 with now some injury issues.