Fantasy Value of Jonathan Stewart Rising

Carolina Panther running back Jonathan Stewart made his first full appearance of the preseason on Saturday night against the Washington Redskins. Stewart has been resting for the majority of preseason as other rookie running backs have been climbing up fantasy rankings. In a few of my earlier posts I’ve been touting Stewart as the rookie of the year and the key to the Panthers success this season. The rookie from Oregon did not disappoint as he rushed for 100 yards and a TD on 10 carries. One of those carries happened to be a 50 yard score.

The Panthers were clicking on all cylinders, their defense, special teams, and offense were all on point against the Skins. Their defense recorded several early sacks and fumble recoveries to set the tone of the game as the Panthers dominated the Redskins 47-3. 

The Carolina offense had over 300 total yards of total offense in the first half. Panther RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart totaled 201 yards on 19 carries. A few days ago I posted my Fantasy draft results and I selected Jonathan Stewart with my 6th round pick to be my RB2. That was a risky pick at the time, but he looked like an absolute beast in the game Saturday night. I’m starting to feel a lot better about selecting him. If the Panthers continue to dominate on both sides of the ball like they did tonight then he should be able to post solid numbers throughout the season. Stewart is sure to climb up pre-draft rankings this week after that performance.

In my recent poll that aks “Which RB do you think will have the best season?” Jonathan Stewart is the apparent front-runner, continue to radar him. This could be Carolina’s version of AP and Chester Taylor or Fred Taylor and Jones-Drew. Definitely a backfield to watch this season.

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