Fantasy analyst's label for Bryce Young shows how far he's come since benching

It's been quite a ride for Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. Taken No. 1 overall at the top of the 2023 NFL draft, expectations were high for Young coming into the league, but he struggled mightily as a rookie - worse than anyone could have reasonably expected.

Combined with the explosive start from Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud - who was the next pick - it looked like Young was a pick the Panthers might regret for a really long time. Somehow things managed to get even worse at the outset of the 2024 season, which saw Young playing QB about as bad as any starter ever has at this level.

It was a risk, but head coach Dave Canales decided to bench his young starter. That decision turned out to be the best call anyone in this organization has made in the post Cam Newton era. When Young returned to the lineup midseason he was a completely different player, and by the end of the year he finally was looking like a legitimate No. 1 overall talent.

Heading into his third year in the league, Yong has been dubbed the top fantasy sleeper at quarterback by John Laghezza at FantasyLife.

Bryce Young named top QB sleeper

"Young closed out the 2024 campaign a changed man, flipping those once disastrous macros on their head (+0.13 EPA/Dropback, 20.7 Fantasy Points/Game, 6.9 Yards/Attempt) to rank as the overall QB8 afte Carolina's Week 12 bye. If he picks up where he left off, Young’s a lock to profit."