Fantasy Football Player Notes

Chuba Hubbard remained Carolina's lead back to open the 2026 season as the RB10 for the week. Hubbard handled all three of Carolina's red zone rushing attempts while playing 67.7% of the snaps with a 52.6% designed carry share and 58.1% route share. Hubbard finished with 13 touches and 87 total yards. Among 43 qualifying rushers in Week 1, Hubbard was 19th in explosive run rate and 17th in missed tackle rate. Hubbard will have uphill sledding in Week 2 if the Falcons' run defense is as good as they showed in Week 1. Last week, they allowed the third-lowest explosive run rate, had the second-best stuff rate, and the eighth-lowest missed tackle rate. We'll see if Hubbard keeps this stranglehold on the workload for the Carolina backfield all season, but he is probably again the clear lead for the Panthers this week.

Tetairoa McMillan had a solid showing in Week 1 as the WR32 in fantasy. He was second on the team with a 21.1% target share while tying for the team lead in first-read share with 27.3%. McMillan finished with 75 receiving yards (1.92 YPRR), one red zone target, and one deep target. He should see plenty of volume this week to outkick what could be a tougher matchup if Atlanta's secondary can continue what they put on film in Week 1. Last week, Atlanta allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per target and the seventh-fewest yards per target to perimeter wide receivers.

HELLO HELLO HELLO Jalen Coker! Cokeheads unite! Week 1 was our day. It was wonderful to see Coker balling out as the WR1 overall in fantasy for Week 1. Among all wideouts in Week 1 with at least 20 routes, Coker was tenth in separation score and 15th in route win rate. Coker has the talent to succeed this season. That much is very true. Will he be Carolina's leading receiver all season? Eh, let's pump the brakes on that, but Week 1 was a standout performance. Coker led the team with a 23.7% target share while tying Tetairoa McMillan with a 27.3% first-read share. Coker also had three deep targets and one red zone target, which tied or exceed McMIllan's usage in Week 1. Coker finished with 138 receiving yards (3.94 YPRR) and two scores. We'll see if Coker can keep the party bus rolling in Week 2, but Atlanta's secondary could bring him back down to earth some if their Week 1 showing was indicative of how we should view them for the rest of the season. Last week, Atlanta allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per target and the seventh-fewest yards per target to perimeter wide receivers.

Jonathon Brooks didn't see a heavy workload out of the gate for Carolina. We'll see how that evolves over time this season, but until his role grows, he's just a bench stash. Last week, he played 21% of the snaps with a 21.1% route share. Chuba Hubbard handled all of the red zone rushing work in Week 1. Brooks finished with five touches and 62 total yards. Don't flex Brooks until we see his workload increase. That could happen as early as this week, but we have to see it first.