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Bench Tetairoa McMillan? Fantasy insider believes Panthers WR will struggle in Week 7

Tetairoa McMillan may not have a good fantasy output in Week 7.
Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) celebrates a touchdown during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) celebrates a touchdown during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

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The Carolina Panthers finally got Tetairoa McMillan into the end zone not once, but twice. He scored the first two TDs of his NFL career on Sunday, marking his "coming-out party" even though he'd been pretty great week in and week out.

That momentum might stall, though. Despite a matchup with the hapless and winless New York Jets, McMillan's work is going to be cut out for him. If you can, one insider believes he's a player who should be sent to the bench this week.

Insider calls for Tetairoa McMillan to be benched in fantasy

Tetairoa McMilla
Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) walks off the field during halftime against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The New York Jets have done virtually nothing well this year. They have, however, prevented fantasy wideouts from scoring. Per ESPN, they're the seventh-hardest matchup for the position right now, and that doesn't bode well for Tetairoa McMillan.

He's likely to see a lot of targets, but it might not work out. The reason? Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport thinks it's simple. "McMillan found the end zone twice last week, and the rookie has been a top-25 fantasy wideout six weeks into the year. But he'll draw a lot of Sauce Gardner in coverage this Sunday at Met Life Stadium," he wrote.

Gardner is one of the league's better cornerbacks, and McMillan, a rookie, will have a hard time when matched up with him. He should still see some points just because there's no other fantasy-relevant WR on the roster, but expectations must be curbed.

Plus, the Jets are the 14th-hardest matchup for running backs, so expect the Panthers to rely on Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard if he's healthy. They'll probably run the ball more, get a lead since the Jets are pretty bad offensively, and then run the ball some more to grind the game down.

McMillan may not have to do much, as this projects to be a run-heavy outing with a bad matchup, so it might be wise to seek other fantasy options. The same goes for Bryce Young, although he's not nearly as relevant to Fantasy Football as the rookie wide receiver has been through six weeks this season.

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Zach Roberts
ZACH ROBERTS

Zachary Roberts is a journalist with a wide variety of experience covering basketball, golf, entertainment, video games, music, football, baseball, and hockey. He currently covers Charlotte sports teams and has been featured on Sportskeeda, Yardbarker, MSN, and On SI.