While the Panthers looked revitalized with Andy Dalton under center this past Sunday, upsetting the Raiders 36-22 for their first win of the season, they lost Adam Thielen to a hamstring injury in the process. Due to this, the veteran will be placed on IR, meaning Thielen will miss at least four games, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
This news immediately bumps Xavier Legette up Carolina’s depth chart and he will likely operate as the No. 2 receiving option for this Panthers’ offense that has been resurrected with Dalton at the helm. While it’s a limited sample of only one game, Dalton completed 70% of his passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns last Sunday, resulting in an elite passer rate of 123.6. Though the veteran hasn’t had great success in leading his past teams to victories, Dalton has always had a prowess for getting his top catchers the ball and making them strong options for fantasy football.
Taken by the Panthers in the first-round of this past NFL Draft, Legette is an elite prospect, that finished with 71 catches for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns in his final season at South Carolina. With Thielen sidelined, the 6’3” Legette should run a route on nearly all of Dalton’s drop backs and command a solid target share. Legette instantly becomes a fantasy relevant option in this situation and is a player that needs to be picked up, if available in your fantasy league.
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