Go ahead and look up Carolina Panthers highlights this preseason. I would venture to guess the first person that shows up is rookie Terrace Marshall. Marshall somehow fell to the second round of the NFL draft as the 10th wide receiver taken. Seeing the hometown Seahawks pass on Marshall was a tough pill to swallow, given the team’s needs at the wide receiver position. Watching Marshall show off his talents has only made that pick look worse, as it reminded me of 2019 when teams were fading D.K. Metcalf due to injury concerns and something about a slow three-cone drill. The Seahawks took that discount and laughed all the way to the bank, The questions is whether or not Marshall can live up to the hype? If he can, will that translate to success in fantasy football?
The Giants drafted Kadarius Toney over Terrace Marshall.
The Seahawks drafted D’Wayne Eskridge over Terrace Marshall.
The Rams drafted Tutu Atwell over Terrace Marshall.
Mistakes were made.pic.twitter.com/absC6FinPW
— Jack Cavanagh ↗️ (@javanagh87) August 28, 2021
College Profile
Terrace Marshall was a 5-star recruit and the WR3 in the entire 2018 recruiting class. Marshall received offers from every blue blood program in the Southeast. However, he chose to stay close to home in Louisiana and attend LSU.
In his 2018 Freshman year, Marshall dealt with the after-effects of a severe leg injury that required surgery. As a result, he was unable to make much of an impact as a Freshman in 2018. Marshall finished with 12 receptions for 192 yards.
Enter the 2019 season where LSU’s offense went bonkers, setting numerous records and lighting college football on fire. Marshall managed over 600 yards and 13 touchdowns while missing three games due to surgery. It did not matter who defenses targeted, as one of Marshall, Chase, or Jefferson was going to beat you – and likely all three of them were.
Although Marshall may have taken a backseat to his teammates, he showed the world how talented a player he was. As a result, the 2019 season caught the attention of NFL scouts. Combined with his pedigree, Terrace was one to watch for the 2020 season.
In 2020 Marshall came back for his Junior year, hoping to boost his stock for the NFL draft. Unfortunately, Jefferson and Chase did not return, so the team’s weight fell on his shoulders. With the slot role now available, LSU moved Marshall inside. Once again, Marshall thrived. He recorded a 33% yardage share in the seven games before opting out of the season. Marshall showed that he could be the alpha of a passing attack at the college level.
NFL Draft
Marshall was an intriguing prospect, as this WR class lacked size. It has numerous players with speed, but Marshall was one of the few prospects who resembled the prototypical alpha build of yesteryear that had both size and speed. Marshall dominated his combine and showed off his athletic talent. He posted a 9.76 score, the 60th highest Relative Athletic Score among WR, dating back to 1987.
Terrace Marshall Jr is a WR prospect in the 2021 draft class. He scored a 9.76 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 60 out of 2499 WR from 1987 to 2021. https://t.co/A2FQyQipub #RAS via @Mathbomb pic.twitter.com/zyUlhwldPt
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 7, 2021
It was safe to say that he passed that test with flying colors. The one issue still holding back Marshall was the injury concerns, which was his primary concern going into the draft.
The NFL did not call Marshall’s name on opening night. There were five WRs that went ahead of him in round one. But, as day two began, it seemed a shoo-in that Marshall would hear his name called. Then, a funny thing happened; as he began to slide out of the second round, many wondered if Marshall would hear his name at all.
Finally, a familiar face ended the slide. Joe Brady, who coached Marshall at LSU in 2019, is the current O.C. in Carolina. Teaming Marshall up with Brady again has Panthers fans envisioning a potential superstar combination in the making.
Slot Monster
Sam Darnold's Most Targeted Receiver
2017: Deontay Burnett, 27.5% target share
2018: Quincy Enunwa, 21.7%
2019: Jamison Crowder, 26.1%
2020: Jamison Crowder, 25.3%
2020 (w/ Crowder out): Braxton Berrios, 27.5%In each instance, Darnold's favorite receiver was the team's slot WR
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) May 6, 2021
Given what we know about Sam Darnold‘s history of targeting the slot position, Marshall would seem like a lock to pay off at his fantasy football ADP. We should be asking whether it was the talent in the slot, the scheme, or a combination of the two that led to Darnold targeting the slot at the rate he did in New York.
Enter Marshall, who checks off the talent box. Last season he played 82% of his snaps from the slot for LSU. Curtis Samuel was the slot receiver last year in Carolina and left in free agency, opening a door for the rookie wide receiver to step in right away and perform.
On Friday’s game, Marshall played a significant role in the offense. He played 73.9% of his snaps from the slot with Darnold on the field, running 17 total snaps from the slot (the rest of the WRs combined for 18). Marshall has that slot role locked up this year in Carolina. He should contribute almost immediately out of the gate.
First look at CAR with all their WRs playing last night. Sam Darnold played 41 snaps. WR snaps:
* DJ Moore 38 (5 slot)
* Robby Anderson 38 (9 slot)
* Terrace Marshall 23 (17 slot)
* Brandon Zylstra 3
* David Moore 1— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) August 28, 2021
Fantasy Football Outlook
Marshall is currently going off of the board as the WR59 (120 overall) in 1QB fantasy football leagues. While I prefer other wide receivers in that price range, there is value to be had in taking Marshall this season. Curtis Samuel was in the slot 64% of the time for Carolina last season and had a breakout year finishing as a top-24 WR.
Those numbers are within the range of outcomes for Marshall. Yet, having a season similar to Samuel in total points is unlikely. In addition, I am anticipating Marshall to have a lesser role (compared to Samuel last season) since Christian McCaffery is back this year. Adding Sam Darnold as the starting quarterback, I do not have much faith in the pass catchers this season at cost.
If we expect CMC to be the number one fantasy football asset in 2021, the role is not there for Darnold to support three fantasy-relevant receivers. So of the three, I am fading Moore, acquiring Anderson, and holding Marshall.
Marshall is a decent late-round dart throw for this season, given how talented of a player he is. If Marshall hits we will know early, as he will cut into the work of both Anderson and Moore. If you choose Terrace Marshall as your late-round WR to target for fantasy football, I support your choice.
D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson watching Terrace Marshall Jr. snag it 🤩
(via @Panthers) pic.twitter.com/Q3NVZu7y2x
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) August 15, 2021
Jesse Moeller
Jesse Moeller is a fascinating character. By day, he's a restaurant manager, but during his free time, he transforms into a fantasy football analyst. He's been playing fantasy football since 1999, which means he's been around the block a few times. But his passion for the game has never waned. Jesse is a devoted husband to his wife Andrea, whom he's been married to for five years. They have a lovely daughter Cecilia, who is now four years old. Jesse's journey into content creation began with The League Winners in 2021, and he hasn't looked back since. Dynasty is his passion, and his love for the game is infectious. Jesse is a true degenerate who loves the fantasy football and the community that supports it.