Fantasy Football NFC South rankings for 2016: Kelvin Benjamin

We continue our “Falcons 50” countdown with a look at the top five fantasy football players in the NFC South for 2016. Falcons football is just 25 days away. You can follow along with the full countdown here.

Top NFC South fantasy players of 2016: #5 Kelvin Benjamin

A returning Kelvin Benjamin is great news for the Carolina Panthers. As a rookie, he gave Cam Newton a big-time threat on the boundary, catching 73 passes for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns.

A sophomore season wiped out with a torn ACL threatened to derail the Panthers’ year, but the offense strolled in a 15-1 season ended with a Super Bowl berth. Now imagine them with a healthy Benjamin.

At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Benjamin towers over defensive backs and causes nightmares in the secondary. If he can build on a strong rookie season and return to his best, look out.

This is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and Benjamin has been forgotten by a number of fans. For this reason, he’ll fall in fantasy drafts. If you can grab him as a flex option, don’t hesitate to pick him up.

Benjamin can easily become a top-15 wide receiver this season, and doing so as your third option would make him a steal.

Greg Olsen is a threat for some of the offense’s receptions, and the Panthers like to run the football, but Benjamin can still put up big numbers. Due to his size and red zone ability, expect touchdowns from the big pass catcher.

The key is his return to health. The third-year man missed an entire year of football, but he’s young enough to return to 100 percent and build on the 2014 season.

Next: Falcons 50: The full countdown to kickoff

If Benjamin is available in the mid-rounds of your fantasy football draft, make him your flex. You won’t regret it.