Fantasy Football: 8 Late-Round Lottery Tickets for 2017
Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers
Average Draft Position: 14.02 (WR67)
Speaking of Ginn's old team, there's opportunity to be had at wide receiver. Ginn's out, and rookie Curtis Samuel is dealing with a hamstring injury. That opens the door for an ever-cheap Devin Funchess to be involved.
Funchess isn't our prototype receiver for a lottery ticket because he's not on a high-volume passing team with insane touchdown potential. But he does have a former MVP at quarterback in Newton, and the sheer level of volume he could command is enough to give him upside.
The third-year receiver has been generating buzz at camp, and he cashed that in with important playing time during the Panthers' preseason opener Wednesday.
Panthers WR snap count with the starters: Kelvin Benjamin 9, Devin Funchess 9, Russell Shepard 4. Out of 9 plays. Other 5 2 TE sets
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) August 10, 2017
Funchess is a large mass of a human being, checking in at 6'4", 232 pounds, a build that allowed him to pass as a tight end in college with the Michigan Wolverines. His top comp at the combine -- based on his measurables and workouts -- was Brandon Marshall, according to Player Profiler. The dude has a touchdown-making physique.
On top of that, he's still insanely young. Funchess turned 23 in May, meaning he's three years younger than teammate Kelvin Benjamin, even though the two entered the league one year apart. The first two seasons for Funchess were absolutely disappointing, but he's young, he's getting an opportunity, and he has the profile of a touchdown fiend. That makes him worthy of a look, even if it is a bit unconventional.
