BryceYoung

News: 2 days agoYoung will be working with a new play caller in 2026 with offensive coordinator Brad Idzik taking those duties from head coach Dave Canales, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

Spin: Idzik is entering his third year as the Panthers' OC, and the switch in play callers has been described by Young as "aggressive, which is huge for us." The results in two preseason contests were tepid, to say the least, as Young completed eight of 11 passes for 67 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions while directing four drives. Having dynamic second-year WR Tetairoa McMillan at his disposal will help matters once the games begin to count Week 1, but the rest of the skill-position group leaves something to be desired.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Young has yet to find his way to any sort of fantasy relevance during his first three NFL seasons. The 2023 No. 1 draft pick has yet to finish a season better than 20th in passing yards, 10th in rushing yards or 24th in fantasy points per game. Efficiency has been a problem, as last season's career-high 6.3 yards per attempt was barely up from 2024 and still among the worst in the NFL. Young's 47.6 QBR last season ranked 22nd among 28 qualified quarterbacks. Perhaps the 25-year-old will make a leap in top target Tetairoa McMillan's second season and Brad Idzik's debut as the offensive playcaller, but it will be asking a lot to expect QB1 production. Young is best viewed as a fringe QB2 in 12-team leagues.