NFL futures, 2 Carolina Panthers bets: Can Bryce Young come up big?

Their offseason was headlined by moving up to the top pick to select 2021 Heisman winner Bryce Young to be their new quarterback. The move cost them star WR DJ Moore, a presence not easily replaced.

Carolina also fired their coaching staff, and Frank Reich was hired after being let go by Indianapolis. Reich will be tasked with getting Young ready and getting the most out of this offensive group.

The defense might be the Panthers' calling card, led by their defensive line. Brian Burns racked up 12.5 sacks last season and Derrick Brown, Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu all put together solid campaigns. If Carolina can continue getting solid line play out of their defense, that will go a long way for both sides of the ball. 

The Panthers need to see more out of their 2021 first round pick, cornerback Jaycee Horn. Horn has missed 18 games in his first two seasons and him staying on the field should help shore up their secondary, which was a major liability in 2022.

Two futures bets to make on the Carolina Panthers

Carolina to have winning record (+175 DK)

Found under 'Team Futures'
Initially, I was going to target the Panthers to make the playoffs, priced at +210, but this seems like the safer route to go for those high on Carolina's 2023 outlook. If they win the division at 8-9 like Tampa Bay did last year, then I sure will look silly, but I'm willing to take my chances.

This is very much a bet on the quality of this division. The NFC South was the worst division in football last year and nothing is changing on that front this year. That opens opportunity for some new faces, so why not Carolina?

Bryce Young is of course the unknown here, but if he can prove his size isn't an issue at this level, he should be able to elevate the play of everyone around him. While the loss of DJ Moore hurts, it's still a cromulent crop of pass-catchers in DJ Chark, Adam Thielen, Terrace Marshall and Hayden Hurst. 

Frank Reich led the Colts to the playoffs in his first year as a coach there in 2018, so he's shown the ability to quickly turn around a franchise. As mentioned above, there are quality cornerstone pieces on both sides of the ball, and if Young can live up to his No. 1 pick selection, the Panthers could surprise in 2023.

Carolina will need to find nine wins this season to hit this bet, but they have a relatively soft schedule and again benefit from six games against New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. They should be able to improve on their 7-10 record from last season.

Miles Sanders to lead NFL in rushing yards (+3000 DK)

Found under 'Player Futures'
Let's be clear, this should be nothing more than a sprinkle. In three of his last four seasons in Indianapolis, Frank Reich and the Colts ranked inside the top-10 of most rushing attempts on the season.

Reich watched Jonathan Taylor lead the NFL in rushing just two seasons ago, and Miles Sanders finished fifth in the league in rushing last year with Philadelphia.

Now, don't get it twisted. Sanders is not Taylor, and the former Eagles running back most definitely benefitted from playing on a stacked offense that had a rushing QB next to him.

Still, there's a path here. You don't pay a 26-year old running back in free agency if you don't have plans to maximize every last bit of tread he has. Chuba Hubbard will siphon off some carries, but I'd expect Sanders to get 15+ carries a game this season. 

He may need closer to 20+ to be a viable candidate here, but that's why it's a long shot. This Panthers offensive line is quietly very solid, led by 2022 first round pick Ikem Ekwonu at LT. 

You ease a rookie QB into the NFL by leaning on the run game, and that's the script we'd need here to cash this bet.