Will Hill bet Panthers team total Under 18.5. Carolina mustered only three points until garbage time last week, while Arizona’s rebuilt defense held New Orleans to 13. Hill expects the Cardinals to keep the Panthers under 19 in the desert.

Mock grabbed over 43.5 at -110 for Carolina-Arizona despite the Panthers’ ugly Week 1 showing. He is banking on seeing "second-half-of-2024 Bryce Young" this weekend and notes that Carolina’s defense is bad enough to let Arizona dictate a quicker tempo. With the Cardinals setting the pace and any semblance of competence from Young, his model lands the game in the mid-40s. He would not chase a number higher than 43.5 at the same vig.

MacMillan grabbed Carolina +6.5 (–105, BetMGM), arguing Arizona shouldn’t be laying nearly a touchdown after barely scraping by the league’s worst team. He admits the Panthers under-performed expectations in Week 1 but believes Bryce Young and the offense can rebound enough to stay within one score against an unimpressive Cardinals squad.

DFS Army pushed Bryce Young over 211.5 passing yards (59 % hit rate in their model) after noting DraftKings sits at 217.5. The analyst expects a back-and-forth affair with the Jaguars, whose defense ranked 28th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks last year. Young played markedly better once he reclaimed the starting job down the stretch and now gets an added weapon in Tetairoa McMillan. Given two suspect defenses and the possibility of a track-meet script, the tout believes the market is pricing Young’s ceiling far too conservatively.

Jon Warner preferred Bryce Young’s completions prop to his 213.5 passing-yards line after checking Unabated’s projections, which showed a small edge on completions. Jon called 213.5 "a pretty low number" and said he was comfortable betting the higher given Carolina’s need to stay concentrated through the air in a road matchup. Switching to completions also avoids a potential correlation docking with other Panthers receiving overs in the same slip.

Nez Takes added Chuba Hubbard’s 61.5 rushing-yards higher to the same game slip, explaining that if both offenses are efficient and the game goes over its total, Hubbard can smash the number while simultaneously boosting the payout multiplier. The pick stacks with Bryce Young and other Carolina overs to tell a full "this game goes nuts" story.

Makinen took Carolina +3.5, arguing the market is pricing in misplaced optimism on Jacksonville. He noted the Jaguars limped to a 2-7 finish in 2024 and are starting over with new coach Liam Coen. Meanwhile the Panthers went 4-5 down the stretch, averaging 24.1 PPG once Bryce Young settled in. Makinen likes backing teams that played better than their record late the previous season; he believes that carry-over and the Jaguars’ unearned respect make the points too valuable to pass up.

He grabbed Carolina +3.5 (and +155 ML), pointing to the league-high $98 million the Panthers have sunk into their offensive line. Tafur expects those big paychecks to open rushing lanes against a middling Jaguars front and buy Bryce Young enough time. He doubts Trevor Lawrence will look like a Liam Coen masterpiece right away, forecasting a one-score game the Panthers can steal.

Mason Cameron recommended betting the under 34.5 receiving yards (+105) for Xavier Legette in Week 1. He reminded readers that Legette’s 2024 campaign was rough—a 59.1 PFF receiving grade (107th of 111 qualifiers) and a 76.5 percent catch rate on catchable balls underscored issues with drops, separation and finishing through contact. Carolina responded by drafting Tetairoa McMillan in Round 1 and bringing in Jimmy Horn Jr. and Hunter Renfrow, leaving Legette to fight for snaps and targets. Jacksonville’s secondary is no soft landing spot: free-agent signee Jourdan Lewis will handle the slot while Tyson Campbell, Montaric Brown and rookie Travis Hunter rotate outside if Coen allows. Given Legette’s shaky efficiency, reduced target share and a tougher defensive backfield, Cameron views the yardage under as the smart side.

Ulrich called Jalen Coker a drop in leagues without IR spots after the wideout unexpectedly landed on injured reserve for 4-6 weeks with the same quad he hurt last season. Even if the timetable hits perfectly, Coker would return as no better than Carolina’s No. 2 target in what projects to be a bottom-third scoring attack, and the medical staff warns reinjury risk will linger into mid-season.

Warren Sharp advised steering clear of Bryce Young in season-long fantasy formats, noting that the quarterback’s "late-season improvement" was illusory. Young’s success rate moved only from 34 % in 2023 to 38 % in 2024, and his yards per attempt crept from 5.5 to 6.3—still 37th in the league. Overall he ranked 41st in accuracy out of 46 qualifiers, 30th in EPA, and 39th in success rate. Sharp stressed that the small bump came against the NFL’s four weakest pass defenses (Cowboys 28th, Cardinals 26th, Buccaneers 25th, Falcons 20th), yet Young still placed 29th of 32 QBs in success rate over that span. With head coach Dave Canales already willing to bench him once—and a front office unlikely to grant another mulligan—Sharp warned that any early-season stumble could lead to a quick hook, torpedoing fantasy value.

McFarland thinks the Adam Thielen trade screams confidence that Carolina already views Tetarioa McMillan as its alpha. His rookie supermodel loves McMillan—historically a neighborhood that produces WR1s or high-end WR2s—and McFarland penciled him in for roughly 150 targets. He is grabbing McMillan in Round 5 of underdog drafts and has pushed him into the early 3rd in FFPC formats when he starts WR-light. The analyst expects immediate perimeter usage, red-zone looks, and a fast rise that has drafters by Week 3 wondering why they ever let him slip past the third round.

Shawn Siegele said Tetairoa McMillan should smash volume expectations after the Adam Thielen trade vacated a triple-digit target share. Siegele pegged the over/under at 120 and immediately took the over, projecting roughly 137 targets— the same total Jackson Smith-Njigba saw in his second season. The Panthers’ depth chart now funnels looks to McMillan as the unquestioned alpha, with Jalen Coker expected to man the slot and Xavier Legette developing outside. Siegele believes Bryce Young’s late-season efficiency surge and a pass-first game script in potential shootouts can support that workload, making McMillan a priority WR2 in season-long and a smash pick at current ADP in best-ball drafts.

Ben Gretch said Adam Thielen’s impending move opens a runway for Jalen Coker and makes the rookie one of the best deep-bench swings in drafts. Gretch already had Coker ranked in the low-50s at wide receiver, far above his WR81 ADP, but bumped him higher because extra routes will come against weaker perimeter defenders. With a strong collegiate targets-per-route profile and a now-clearer path to immediate snaps, Coker offers outsized upside at the very end of best-ball drafts.

Pat Fitzmaurice ranked Tetairoa McMillan seven slots ahead of consensus, arguing that the No. 8 overall pick is "immediately Carolina’s No. 1 receiver." The 6'5" Arizona product posted back-to-back 1,300-yard college seasons and owns what Fitzmaurice calls a “planetary catch radius.” McMillan can play X or big slot, already understands how to beat zone, and should vacuum up targets on a roster otherwise short on proven pass catchers.

Tarracciano crossed Hunter Renfrow off draft lists after a mid-August hamstring strain erased his momentum in Carolina’s camp. Despite outplaying Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette early, Renfrow hasn’t played an NFL snap since 2023 (colitis). Even with Adam Thielen traded, Tarracciano now projects Renfrow to the practice squad at best, offering no reason to stash him in standard leagues.

Rich Hribar grabbed the Panthers in the win-totals draft and said they are the sneakiest path to an NFC South surprise. He pointed to a legitimately upgraded offensive line and a front-seven overhaul aimed at fixing what he called "the worst run defense in NFL history." The front office spent on Bobby Brown and Tershawn Wharton for interior push and added Patrick Jones plus Christian Roosevelt at linebacker. With Tampa Bay expected to regress and Atlanta sporting a weaker trench unit, Hribar believes "somebody has to win games in that division" and Carolina’s schedule is friendlier than Dallas’, which must face Philadelphia and Washington four times. That combination has Hribar betting the Panthers to beat their posted 2025 win total and keep long-shot division tickets alive.

Rich Hribar selected the Carolina Panthers, stating someone has to win games in the NFC South and Carolina is better positioned than Atlanta. He trusts their superior offensive line and likes that the front office aggressively addressed what was the worst run defense in NFL history by signing Bobby Brown and Tershawn Wharton and adding edge depth with Patrick Jones and linebacker Christian Roseboom. Hribar expects that defensive improvement plus a manageable divisional slate to push Carolina past its low win total.

Jason Moore called Jalen Coker a priority deep-league stash after Carolina shipped Adam Thielen to Minnesota and released Hunter Renfrow. Moore contends Coker is a better prospect than fellow rookie Xavier Legette, and he would draft Coker over Legette or Cedric Tillman today. With Bryce Young desperately needing a reliable separator, Moore sees an immediate path to snaps and a sizable target share for Coker, making him a cheap dart throw who could pay off quickly in deeper season-long formats.

Davis Mattek pegged fourth-round rookie Trevor Etienne as a deep bench stash because Carolina clearly wants a real passing-down back. Etienne logged 50 catches over his final two seasons at Florida, averaged 3.43 yards after contact and posted a 31 % breakaway rate. Mattek noted the Panthers do not fully trust Chuba Hubbard in the receiving game (61 targets shared with Rico Dowdle and free-agent pickups last year). Etienne’s 4.42 forty at 200 lbs and Rotoviz comps that include Devonta Freeman and Chris Thompson suggest three-down skills. With only a $3.5 M commitment to Dowdle, the door is open for Etienne to soak up high-value touches as early as Week 1, making him an ideal last-round best-ball pick and early waiver priority.

Davis Mattek spotlighted Jalen Coker as a waiver-wire name to remember if the Panthers off-load Adam Thielen at cut-down day. Despite being undrafted out of Holy Cross, Coker earned rotational snaps last year and produced 1.72 yards per route on just 45 targets—better efficiency than first-round teammate Xavier Legette. His 4.57 forty at 210 lbs, 42.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump underscore NFL-caliber explosiveness. Mattek believes Carolina’s staff already views him as Legette’s equal, which explains the willingness to shop Thielen. If Bryce Young takes the expected sophomore leap, Coker could claim the vacated perimeter routes and become the surprise No. 2 receiver in an offense with plenty of untapped passing volume.

Alex Selesnick backed Bryce Young to beat 3,150 passing yards, noting it translates to only 187 per game. Young finished last year on a nine-TD, zero-INT tear over four contests and now gets head coach Dave Canales, whom Selesnick called a proven quarterback whisperer. Carolina shored up protection and drafted wideout Tetairoa McMillan—comped to Mike Evans—to give Young a true top target. With better weapons and scheme plus the confidence gained late in 2024, Selesnick doesn’t believe Young even needs a "big" season to clear this prop.

Davis Mattek warned that Chuba Hubbard is being overdrafted on the back of an 83 % rush-share that is unlikely to repeat. Carolina added two legitimate pass-catching backs and could siphon the workload down to the mid-60 % range, a hit that would crater Hubbard’s value because his receiving profile is "stone cold bad." Even Mike Clay’s aggressive projection of 275 carries only lands Hubbard at RB17, highlighting how fragile the payoff is on a bottom-quartile offense. Mattek compared him unfavorably to Pacheco—"the only difference is Pacheco plays on a much better team"—and advised passing on Hubbard in both season-long and best-ball drafts.

Stuckey said bettors should start the season by playing Panthers game totals to the over. Carolina’s defense was gashed for 180 rushing yards per game last year— the worst figure in the league since 1987— and the front office mostly added size rather than real play-makers. The unit remains thin, injury-prone, and he expects further special-teams regression. With Bryce Young and a competent run game capable of keeping the offense near league average, Stuckey projects frequent shoot-outs until bookmakers fully adjust, making full-game overs his preferred angle on Carolina.

Dwain McFarland highlighted Trevor Etienne as the back with the most juice behind Chuba Hubbard in Carolina. Etienne started the first two preseason drives, ripping off a 28-yard cut-back en route to 26 yards on three carries. With the Panthers resting starters and Rico Dowdle currently holding the No. 2 label, McFarland advised fantasy managers to keep the Round 4 rookie on speed dial; if Hubbard misses time, Etienne’s explosive profile makes him a priority waiver add.

Koerner admitted he "hates it" but still selected Mitchell Evans at TE50 because the rookie profiles as a specialized red-zone option behind Jatavion Sanders. Tommy Trumbull’s lingering injury could funnel short-yardage snaps to Evans, and Koerner expects "one or two vulture touchdowns" that would easily keep him inside the top 80 tight ends. With most names left on the board unlikely to see any offensive snaps, Koerner prioritized Evans’ combination of a guaranteed roster spot and goal-line usage over theoretical upside.

Ronis labeled eighth-overall pick Tetairoa McMillan a 'steal' at his 83 ADP compared with Fantasy Life’s 46. Standing 6'5, McMillan immediately becomes the red-zone and intermediate threat Bryce Young lacked. No Panther topped a 15% target share last year, leaving a clear runway for McMillan to dominate volume. Ronis sees a WR2 finish well within reach if draft rooms keep letting him slide.

McMillan’s consensus ADP sits at 64.8 (WR29) even though McFarland ranks him WR19. The rookie commanded 30% and 34% of Arizona’s targets the past two seasons and scored near the top of McFarland’s Rookie Super Model; comps beat a WR29 finish 65% of the time. He calls McMillan a “PRIORITY TARGET” and is willing to pull him up into Round 5.

Mike Wright called Bryce Young a perfectly fine late flyer, citing rushing and schedule. After Carolina’s bye last year Young was on pace for 430 rushing yards—a number Wright believes he must maintain to flirt with top-12 fantasy production. The Panthers open 2025 with at Jacksonville, at Arizona, home versus Atlanta, and at New England, four spots where they are early underdogs, creating pass-heavy, scramble-friendly game scripts. With added weapons like Tetairoa McMillan and Jatavian Sanders plus year-two continuity, Wright thinks Young offers cheap dual-threat upside for managers who wait on quarterback or want an early-season streamer.

McFarland warned that Chuba Hubbard’s 2024 passing-game usage may not repeat. Hubbard played 67% of snaps with the starters Saturday, but Rico Dowdle handled every long-down-and-distance snap and matched Hubbard’s 50% participation on Bryce Young drop-backs. After seeing Dowdle siphon third-down work for the second straight week, McFarland projects Hubbard’s 61% route rate and 12% target share from last season to tumble, making him a touchdown-dependent RB3 rather than the weekly flex many drafters expect.

McFarland called Tetairoa McMillan a "screaming value" and locked him in at WR17 in his rankings. The first-round pick logged 100% route participation on Bryce Young’s opening two drives and already owns a 50% target rate with the starters this preseason. McFarland notes the Panthers have little proven competition—Adam Thielen exits in 12 personnel and Xavier Legette is still raw—so a true alpha target share is in play. With McMillan’s ADP sitting a full tier lower on most platforms, McFarland is building draft plans around scooping him two rounds earlier than consensus in both Season-Long and Best-Ball formats.

Adam Ronis urged drafters to pounce on Tetairoa McMillan at his WR28 Sleeper ADP (Fantasy Life WR22). The Panthers spent the eighth overall pick on the 6-foot-5, 219-pound receiver to give Bryce Young a true alpha. McMillan flashed immediately with a 30-yard over-the-shoulder grab in his first preseason game, and no returning Panther topped a 15 % target share in 2024. Ronis expects McMillan to step right into the No. 1 role and views him as worth selecting several rounds ahead of current cost.

Matt Okada said Bryce Young is the easiest free breakout quarterback pick of 2025. Young’s first 27 appearances produced only 173 passing yards per game with a 19-19 TD-INT line, but under Dave Canales he erupted down the stretch: 204 passing yards, seven touchdowns, zero interceptions, plus 100 rushing yards and three rushing scores over his final three contests (26.8 fantasy points per game). Okada highlighted a borderline top-10 offensive line, emerging second-year receivers Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, and eighth-overall pick Tetairoa McMillan, whose camp highlights with Young have circulated all August. With an ADP of QB27, managers can stash him for pennies and potentially uncover a weekly QB1 once the schedule softens.

McMillan is ranked 65th on ESPN but 47.5 on the NFFC/Drafters average, and Donabedian called him one of the platform’s best bargains. The two-WR ESPN format pushes WR3/4 talents down the board, yet Donabedian prefers McMillan’s weekly-starter upside over similarly ranked quarterbacks and tight ends. He recommends scooping the promising Carolina wideout a round or two ahead of ESPN ADP before the market corrects.

Mike Wright declared he is firmly "on team Bryce Young" after the quarterback’s late-season turnaround. When Young regained the starting job he guided Carolina to 25 points per game from Week 12 forward, good for 12th-best in the NFL after ranking near the bottom before the benching. Wright expects further growth under new head coach Dave Canales, highlighting Canales’ track record of elevating passing efficiency and centering the attack around an X receiver—citing Mike Evans’ ascension in Tampa and Deontay Johnson’s resurgence with Andy Dalton. With Tetairoa McMillan filling that X role and a defense that just allowed a record-setting 534 points, Wright anticipates pass-heavy game scripts that put Young in position for a significant fantasy jump, making him a worthwhile upside target in season-long leagues.

Mike Wright said fantasy drafters should prioritize Tetairoa McMillan because Dave Canales has made him the unquestioned "driver of the offense" in Carolina. Wright pointed to Canales’ history of force-feeding the X receiver—calling out Mike Evans’ monster year in Tampa and Deontay Johnson’s weekly-starter resurgence when Andy Dalton stepped in—as proof the scheme funnels volume. Pre-season practice clips already show play designs built around McMillan while Xavier Legette only gets occasional carries, Adam Thielen is limited to shallow crossers, and Ja’Tavion Sanders is a red-zone specialist. From Week 12 on last season, the Panthers scored 25 points a game (12th in the league) and their historically awful defense surrendered 534 points, creating the kind of shootouts that pump passing attempts. Wright believes managers who pass on McMillan in the fifth round will "regret not drafting him sooner," projecting immediate high-end target share and explosive upside for season-long formats.

Andy Holloway pounded the table for Tetairoa McMillan at his current back-of-Round-5 Sleeper ADP, arguing the Panthers already view him as the "driver of the offense." The 6'5", 212-pound early declarer posted 1,400 yards as a sophomore at Arizona and followed with an 84-catch, 1,300-yard, 8-TD junior season—both school records. McMillan averaged 2.82 yards per route run versus zone and an elite 3.5 versus man, numbers Holloway said prove he can bully NFL CB1s. When weight and age are factored in, Marvin Eloquin’s comp model spits out DeAndre Hopkins, Drake London, and Julio Jones. Holloway noted the massive talent gap between McMillan and the rest of Carolina’s receiver room (Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, Ja’Tavion Sanders) and likened it to Garrett Wilson’s dominance in New York. With little risk at a mid-fifth cost and legitimate WR1 overall ceiling, Holloway advised drafters to grab McMillan before the public realizes he’s the Panthers’ unquestioned alpha.

JSU called Rico Dowdle one of his favorite late-round RB2 darts. He pointed out that Carolina gave Dowdle real money this offseason and clearly does not view Chuba Hubbard as a true workhorse. JSU likes pairing Dowdle with other pieces from the Panthers-Seahawks game environment (JSN, Kenneth Walker, Chuba, etc.) because it can be built cheaply after the eighth round. He expects Dowdle to siphon passing-down snaps immediately and have a legitimate path to the lead role if Hubbard falters, making him a priority click after round 14.

JSU said drafters can comfortably wait for Bryce Young as their first quarterback because the pocket-passer scoring on DraftKings rewards volume more than rushing bonuses. Young is falling outside the top-20 QBs, which lets you scoop three late passers and still have salary left for premium positions. JSU added that every Panthers pass catcher is available after pick 150, so a full Carolina stack comes at a huge discount. In a 50-entry Best-Ball final he feels correlation still matters but is less mandatory, making the cheap Panthers stack an efficient way to capture ceiling without sacrificing roster depth.

JSU highlighted Bryce Young as one of his favorite quarterback punts on DraftKings. He pointed out that Young is sliding so far down boards that drafters can grab him as their QB1 while still loading up everywhere else. Because Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette and Ja’Tavion Sanders all go in the double-digit rounds, Carolina stacks cost almost nothing while still capturing the 300-yard and six-point TD bonuses. JSU even preferred Young to Michael Penix Jr. simply because Young’s pass-catcher pairings are easier to obtain in fast drafts.

FPTS Staff called Bryce Young the ideal last-round swing after his late-2024 surge: 10 straight games with a TD, a 4.7 % TD rate (up from 1.9 %) and finishes of QB2 and QB1 in Weeks 16-18. Over that span he ranked first in hero-throw rate (7.8 %), fourth in scrambles (30) and eighth in deep-ball rate (14.1 %). Dave Canales imported a downfield, play-action attack and just handed Young a 6'4"/219 red-zone alpha in eighth-overall pick Tetairoa McMillan, who scored 18 times in his final 25 college games. Young’s legs are a hidden bonus—he averaged 3.8 carries, 26 rushing yards and five rushing TDs over his last eight starts. Drafted at QB23 (ADP 186), the staff believes he has an "outside shot" at a top-12 finish if the scrambling sticks and McMillan accelerates the passing game.

Mike Fanelli identified Bryce Young (ADP 181.2, QB24) as a deep-round quarterback target poised for a third-year leap. Young finished 2024 as the QB20 overall (13.9 PPG) but erupted after a mid-season benching, ranking QB6 from Week 13-18 with 21.9 PPG—outscoring Bo Nix and Drake Maye in that stretch. Carolina upgraded his supporting cast by drafting Tetairoa McMillan and Jimmy Horn Jr. and signing Hunter Renfrow, with camp reports touting a strong Young-McMillan connection. Entering year two in Dave Canales’ scheme, Fanelli noted that Young once again looks like the playmaker from Alabama, making off-script throws and using his legs. Given the cheap cost in 1-QB formats and superflex leagues, Fanelli advised stashing Young for high-end QB2 upside and possible every-week starter value.

Freedman’s model gives rookie Round-1 pick Tetairoa McMillan 122 targets (WR20) but only WR35 production, making his 67.1 ADP (WR29) a bit rich. McMillan must battle 35-year-old Adam Thielen, who turned 199 targets into 1,629 yards the last two seasons, and he inherits an offense that profiles similarly to the 2022 Falcons—Bryce Young under center and a likely bottom-tier scoring environment. Freedman reminded readers Drake London saw 117 targets in that setup but managed just 866 yards and four scores, warning McMillan investors not to assume volume alone guarantees fantasy relevance.

McFarland ranks Tetairoa McMillan as WR19 while consensus ADP treats him as WR29 (pick 66). The Rookie Super Model gave T-Mac a 65% hit rate for beating that finish, buoyed by consecutive 30% and 34% target-share seasons at Arizona. He told readers to reach into Round 5 if they need two pass catchers from the Round-6 pocket, calling McMillan a priority target with immediate WR2 potential.

Fantasy Life Newsletter Staff said Bryce Young is a no-brainer profit pick at his current ADP of 185 after flipping his rookie-year struggles on their head down the stretch in 2024. From Weeks 13-18 he logged +0.13 EPA per drop-back, 20.7 fantasy points per game, and 6.9 yards per attempt, good enough to finish as the overall QB8 after Carolina’s Week-12 bye. The staff argued that if he simply maintains that post-bye form, drafters are getting a set-and-forget starter nearly free in the double-digit rounds.

Kelly Stewart said she sees value grabbing the Carolina Panthers at 4-to-1 to win the NFC South. Her antenna went up when Tampa Bay is only –110 instead of the –150 range she expected for a defending champ, which she reads as a market signal that bookmakers fear Buccaneers regression. Stewart acknowledged Dave Canales upgraded the Bucs defense and drafted WR McMillan, but still expects Tampa to come back to earth after two straight seasons of beating expectations. If that happens she believes Carolina, not New Orleans or Atlanta, is best positioned to pounce, making the Panthers her preferred long-shot divisional ticket rather than laying a suspicious number with Tampa Bay.

Kelly Stewart recommended a speculative play on Carolina at 4-to-1 to win the NFC South. She senses something "fishy" about Tampa sitting only at -110 and believes the Panthers, with defensive holes patched by Dave Canales and an improving offense in year two of their coach-GM combo, offer the best value if the Buccaneers stumble.

Theo Gremminger believes Bryce Young is being undervalued after a strong finish to 2024. Young quietly flashed rushing upside late in the year and now gets a full offseason in Dave Canales’ quarterback-friendly system—the same system that coaxed career years out of multiple passers under Canales. With incoming alpha wideout Tetairoa McMillan set to command defensive attention and Rico Dowdle potentially siphoning high-leverage backfield targets away from Chuba Hubbard, Gremminger sees the offense funneling through Young’s arm and legs. The tout expects better efficiency, a safer weekly floor via rushing, and a real chance for Young to outkick his late-round fantasy draft position in season-long leagues.

Theo Gremminger pushed Tetairoa McMillan as the premier breakout wide receiver for 2025. He called McMillan a 6-foot-5, 220-pound "target magnet" with elite body control and a catch radius that will let Dave Canales build the Panthers’ passing game around him. Gremminger expects Bryce Young—who showed unexpected rushing production late last season and now looks comfortable in Canales’ scheme—to hyper-target his new top option the same way he peppered Adam Thielen in stretches. He projected 140-plus targets with a legitimate path to 150 and cited the recent trend of first-year receivers posting top-six PPR seasons (four of the last five years). Because McMillan profiles as a red-zone bully, Gremminger thinks he can sacrifice 10 catches compared with Puka Nacua or Malik Nabers and still match their fantasy ceilings through touchdowns. He has the prospect ranked around 40th overall—two full rounds ahead of Yahoo ADP—and is willing to select him in the fourth round of typical PPR drafts (even the third in high-stakes formats) to ensure exposure before ADP catches up.

Cooter Doodle urged fantasy managers to BUY Bryce Young after his post-bye turnaround in 2024. From Weeks 12-18 the Carolina quarterback posted weekly finishes of QB14, QB8, QB20, QB18, QB2, QB19 and QB1 while averaging 232 passing yards and 0.71 rushing TDs per game. She credited the improvement to a simplified scheme after his temporary benching for Andy Dalton. The Panthers then spent first-round capital on wideout Tetairoa McMillan, giving Young a true perimeter separator alongside Adam Thielen. With an improved supporting cast and demonstrated late-season progress, Cooter expects Young to out-kick his current draft cost in 2025 redraft and best-ball formats.

Hayden Winks said he "had to move Xavier Legette down pretty significantly" after the wideout was ejected from a preseason game for fighting and continued to lose ground to Jalen Coker. Winks cited coach Dave Canales’s post-game comment that the Panthers will play the most reliable receivers regardless of draft capital, framing it as a head-to-head competition Legette is currently losing. While acknowledging Legette’s size-speed ceiling, Hayden noted a pattern of maturity questions and reminded listeners that Carolina is two-deep in the slot with other capable options, making a rotational role likely. Given that tier is already weak, Winks advised fading Legette at his present ADP and instead drafting Bryce Young or other upside swings in that range.