Fantasy Preview: Greg Olsen Will Be a Top 10 Tight End

The Carolina Panthers cleaned house during the NFL off-season and pretty much took most of Cam Newton's targets away. Due to this fact, the Panthers appear slim in fantasy value overall.

In reviewing numerous projections from fantasy experts, there is a trend that actually is surprising. The Panthers version of "Steady Eddie", Greg Olsen, is slipping down the tight end rankings and is out of the top ten in most cases. Has everyone really forgotten what Cam Newton and Greg Olsen can do?

Here is a list of facts to think about:

FACT: Cam Newton had ankle surgery during the off-season and this has limited his chances of getting some serious gel time with his receivers.

FACT: The current depth chart for the Panthers lists the #1 wide receiver as Jerricho Cotchery, the #2 wide receiver as Kelvin Benjamin and the #3 wide receiver as Jason Avant. (One of these guys will emerge as a suprise at some point in the season, my money is on Benjamin, but that's not what we are here to talk about.)

FACT: The three wide receivers lost from last year include; Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn. These are huge losses for the Panthers who are obviously looking towards the future.

FACT: Cam Newton showed improvment on his leadership skills and has settled in with consistent production. Last year he completed 61.7% of his passes, threw 24 TD's and had a QB Rating of 88.8%, his best technical season yet. Newton's rushing yards were down, but then again, he had a bum ankle.

FACT: Last year, Greg Olsen was targeted 111 times and caught 73 of those passes. Olsen averaged 4.6 receptions per game, 51 yards per game and caught 6 touchdown passes last year. This was a solid, consistent weekly performance for Olsen who was sharing the field with Smith and LaFell; this year, he is sharing it with unproven targets.

Hypothesis: The Panthers are sick and tired of hearing how bad they are going to be on offense this year due to the big change in receivers and they are out to prove themselves. The Panthers have way too much work ahead of them to get those receivers up and running until at least mid-season. Greg Olsen is the one man that can be depended on to produce now! How can a guy who already was a productive tight end get any worse with a situation like this? Greg Olsen is averaging 13th on the rankings list for tight ends to pick in fantasy football this year. In mock drafts that I have participated in, you can get him in the 14th round! This is a steal. Greg Olsen is Cam Newton's crutch, his go-to guy and his #1 target. Expect increasing numbers for him this year and a top 10 finish for tight end production when it is all said and done. If you can't grab a Graham or a Gronk, concentrate on the many running backs and wide receivers that you need to fill your roster, then wait, grab Olsen and watch him be one of your surprise picks that you can brag to all of your buddies about