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.

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.

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.

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.