Fantasy Football Player Notes
2025 Half PPR Draft Rankings
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45.
Chuba Hubbard
RB - (at TB)
Chuba Hubbard racked up 1,366 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns last season, good for an RB12 finish in half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Hubbard averaged 4.8 yards per carry, ranked eighth in yards after contact per attempt among RBs with at least 100 carries, and was 11th among RBs in missed tackles forced. The Panthers rewarded Hubbard with a four-year, $33 million deal with about $16.5 million guaranteed. They signed Rico Dowdle in free agency, but Carolina gave Dowdle a one-year, $2.75 million contract, suggesting that Dowdle is going to be Hubbard's backup. There's reason to be optimistic about the trajectory of the Carolina offense, which was pretty good down the stretch in the first year with Dave Canales as head coach. And Carolina has a good offensive line. PFF had the Panthers ranked 7th in run-blocking grade last season.
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64.
Tetairoa McMillan
WR - (at TB)
Tetairoa McMillan topped 1,300 receiving yards in each of his last two college seasons at the University of Arizona and is now poised to immediately become the Panthers' No. 1 receiver after Carolina took him with the eighth overall pick in the draft. The 6-foot-5 McMillan is a classic X receiver -- although he can also be a matchup nightmare as a big slot receiver. He has a planetary catch radius and good, strong hands. He also has advanced route-running chops, a good feel for attacking zone coverage, and he's no shrinking violet when asked to go over the middle.
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137.
Rico Dowdle
RB - (at TB)
Rico Dowdle took over as the Cowboys' lead RB in the second half of the 2024 regular season and was a monster down the stretch. Dowdle had 235-1,079-2 rushing for the season. Over his last seven games, Dowdle averaged 96.7 rushing yards and had four 100-yard rushing games. He was the RB13 in half-point PPR scoring over that stretch. But the Cowboys let Dowdle walk after the season, and he signed a modest one-year contract with the Panthers. Since Carolina gave a big contract extension to Chuba Hubbard in the offseason, it's reasonable to assume that Dowdle with be Hubbard's backup. But Dowdle is still an interesting late-round flyer.
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145.
Bryce Young
QB - (at TB)
The light finally came on for Bryce Young down the stretch last year. In Weeks 12-18, he was the QB8 in fantasy points per game, averaging 25.4 rushing yards per game, which would have ranked 12th-best overall last year. During that stretch, among 34 qualifying quarterbacks, Young ranked eighth in CPOE, 12th in highly accurate throw rate, and second in hero throw rate (per Fantasy Points Data). He was aggressively pushing the ball downfield with the fifth-highest deep throw rate in the NFL behind only Josh Allen, Anthony Richardson, Lamar Jackson, and Jordan Love. Young is a sneaky QB2 option for 2025 who could again flirt with QB1 production if he can keep up the stellar play of late 2024 and quickly get on the same page with Tetairoa McMillan.
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161.
Adam Thielen
WR - (at TB)
Adam Thielen proved last year that he still has something left in the tank. In the nine games last year that he played at least 58% of the snaps, he drew a 19.7% target share while averaging 63.9 receiving yards per game with 2.08 yards per route run with a 25.8% first-read share and 0.094 first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Down the stretch (Weeks 12-18), when Bryce Young was revitalized, Thielen was the WR21 in fantasy points per game. I'm not expecting him to produce anywhere close to that level in the 2025 season, especially with the addition of Tetairoa McMillan, but Thielen isn't dust. Not even close. Last year, among 112 qualifying receivers, he ranked 26th in separation and 53rd in route win rate. Thielen is a solid late-round option who could be a strong weekly flex option if Young continues his growth at the NFL level.
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171.
Xavier Legette
WR - (at TB)
Xavier Legette is a late-round depth option that I'll likely avoid in most drafts this season. In the games, he played at least 59% of the snaps last year with Bryce Young under center, Legette had an encouraging 20.5% target share and 25.3% first-read share, but his per-route efficiency was horrible with 1.32 yards per route run and 0.066 first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Overall, among 112 qualifying receivers, he ranked 69th in separation and 52nd in route win rate. Outside of Tetairoa McMillan, if I'm taking shots on this passing offense late, it'll be with Adam Thielen or Jalen Coker.
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192.
Jalen Coker
WR - (at TB)
Jalen Coker burst on the scene last year as an undrafted free agent. He earned a starting spot in the Carolina Panthers passing offense as the season moved along and racked up four games with at least 60 receiving yards in the process. In the six games, he played at least 68% of the snaps, and Bryce Young was the starting quarterback; Coker had solid numbers with an 18.3% target share, 55.7 receiving yards per game, 1.89 yards per route run, and a 23.8% first-read share (per Fantasy Points Data). He averaged 11.4 PPR points per game with three top-36 weekly fantasy finishes (WR17, WR12, WR28). He looks like he's on the outside looking in for a starting spot in 2025, but one injury in camp or during the season could easily change that.
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225.
Ja'Tavion Sanders
TE - (at TB)
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259.
Trevor Etienne
RB - (at TB)
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376.
Tommy Tremble
TE - (at TB)
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404.
Jonathon Brooks
RB - (at TB)
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450.
Mitchell Evans
TE - (at TB)
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465.
Carolina Panthers
DST - (at TB)
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478.
Jimmy Horn Jr.
WR - (at TB)
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494.
Hunter Renfrow
WR - (at TB)
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498.
David Moore
WR - (at TB)
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596.
Andy Dalton
QB - (at TB)
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617.
Raheem Blackshear
RB - (at TB)
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717.
James Mitchell
TE - (at TB)
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732.
Stephen Sullivan
TE - (at TB)
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