Fantasy Football Player Notes

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. McMillan could have an extra-heavy target share in the early weeks of the season with slot receiver Jalen Coker on short-term IR.

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.

Bryce Young's second NFL season was a roller-coaster ride, but it ended on a high note. Benched after two poor games to start the season, Young returned as Carolina's starting QB in Week 7 and gradually showed improvement. Over his final three starts of the season, he completed 64.8% of his passes for 612 yards, with seven TDs, zero INTs, and a QB rating of 111.6. Young also has five rushing touchdowns in his final six games. Panthers head coach Dave Canales has a good track record with young quarterbacks, and his continued work with Young could pay off in 2025. Pass-catching weaponry has been an issue for Young, but the Panthers spent the eighth overall pick of the NFL Draft on highly regarded WR Tetairoa McMillan.

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.

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 Jalen Coker. Legette will get a bump to begin the season, though, as long as Coker is sidelined with a quad injury (IR).

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). With Adam Thielen headed to Minnesota, Coker's starting spot is locked in. Coker is an awesome upside bet in the final rounds of your drafts, who could easily become a strong weekly WR3/flex if he takes a step in his second season. We'll have to wait for the launch with the news of his quad injury and short-term IR stint, crushing his early-season availability. Coker could be the WR2 for Carolina after he returns, with only Tetairoa McMillan ahead of him for targets weekly.