Who Should I Start? Jordan Matthews or Zay Flowers

Thursday, May 8, 1:02 PM

The Carolina Panthers released tight end Jordan Matthews on Thursday, league sources tell The Charlotte Observer's Mike Kaye. The former wide receiver will now hit the open market after re-signing with the team in early January on a Reserve/Futures deal. The 32-year-old former second-round pick (42nd overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 out of Vanderbilt ended up with just one target in four games played (one start) in his two seasons with Carolina the last two years. Since transitioning to a tight end, Matthews hasn't made an impact at the NFL level since leaving the Eagles with the San Francisco 49ers and Panthers. In his 10 NFL seasons, Matthews has recorded 274 catches on 423 targets for 3,288 yards and 22 touchdowns, with pretty much all of that production coming from 2014-18.

Wednesday, February 11, 6:27 AM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers arguably had the best season of his young career in 2025, recording 86 receptions for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns on 118 targets across 17 games. Flowers' production is made even more impressive by the fact that he played four games without star Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who missed time with both hamstring and back injuries. Flowers has been a highly consistent pass-catcher so far throughout his three NFL seasons, recording at least 108 targets and 74 catches in each year. His greatest flaws have been red-zone usage, as he's never had more than five touchdown grabs in a season, and target volume, as he's averaging 6.8 targets per contest for his career. However, the Ravens have made major coaching staff changes heading into 2026. Former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle will take over for former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, meaning Flowers will be working with a new play-caller for the first time in his NFL career. While there's no guarantee Doyle will drastically change Flowers' role in the offense, there's a chance his presence could help Flowers break through to a new level. Even if Flowers simply repeats his established standards of performance, he profiles as a high-end fantasy WR3 in dynasty formats going forward.