Mike Tolbert

Tolbert has embodied the Panthers' penchant for pounding the ball in the running game for years now. Besides his zero-touchdown, injury-shortened 2014 campaign, Tolbert has scored 18 times in his four seasons in Carolina. Last year, the stocky yet shifty fullback took his 62 carries for 256 yards and one touchdown, and caught 18 passes for 154 yards and three more scores. At 30 years old, Tolbert could see rising second-year tailback Cameron Artis-Payne surpass his touch total this term, but along with quarterback Cam Newton, he should remain an appreciated short-yardage weapon for the Panthers.

The Panthers’ bulldozing fullback and short-yard specialist, Tolbert missed eight games during the middle of last season due to a slight leg fracture. Given the lengthy absence, Tolbert’s hit-or-miss fantasy stock disappointed, as the veteran failed to score at all, managing just 78 yards on 37 carries. Nonetheless, over the previous four seasons, Tolbert totaled an impressive 35 touchdowns, leaving room for optimism that he’ll rebound with a healthy 2015 campaign. Although he won’t see much burn outside of the red zone, Tolbert’s goal-line vulture role is conducive to a plug-and-play option in certain fantasy situations.

A punishing fullback, the 5-9, 245-pound Tolbert is the primary short-yardage back for the Panthers, causing no end of pain to the touchdown-starved fantasy owners of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. However, even with his heavy usage inside the five – 13 carries – Tolbert ended up with just seven touchdowns on the season to go with his marginal yardage totals. Not a guy who's going to give you a high YPC (just 3.6 last year), he's an entirely touchdown-reliant play for deep leagues who'll contribute some catches out of the backfield here and there.

Tolbert will again be the starting fullback for the Panthers and see short-yardage carries and catches out of the backfield.

Tolbert took more of a backseat to Ryan Mathews last year in San Diego, but he still totaled 923 yards with 10 touchdowns. He was clearly miscast, as his seven drops tied for the most among all backs, and he went just 5-for-18 at the goal line. Moreover, getting just 4.0 YPC on a Norv Turner led Chargers offense is far from exceptional. Despite being offered more money to stay in San Diego, Tolbert curiously signed with the Panthers during the offseason, where he’ll be shifted to fullback with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart on the roster.

Tolbert had never received more than 25 carries in a season before last year, when he got 182 rushing attempts thanks to Ryan Mathews’ injury problems. Tolbert took advantage, rushing for 11 touchdowns, as he went 10-for-18 at the goal line. Any lead back for Norv Turner’s San Diego offense would possess plenty of fantasy value, but it’s clear Tolbert is an inferior talent to Mathews, so he’s slated for a backup role in 2011. Tolbert will be one of the most important handcuffs, however.

Tolbert is the second string fullback in San Diego, which means that offensive touches will be few and far between.

Tolbert spent most of his rookie season as the starting fullback, but he seemed to fall out of favor with the coaches down the stretch and appears to have lost his job to Jacob Hester. But even if he regains his playing time in training camp, he is not a player that will ever touch the ball more than one or two times per game, so he should not be counted on in any fantasy league.

Tolbert is looking to make the squad as a fullback in his rookie season. The team is searching for a replacement for Lorenzo Neal after releasing him in the offseason, and Tolbert is in competition with Andrew Pinnock, who has been slow to recover from offseason knee surgery.