New Panthers weapon named long shot darkhorse to lead all NFL WRs in fantasy football

There may be a bit of a perfect storm brewing for Carolina Panthers rookie Tetairoa McMillan. He's a very good prospect, but he might've landed in a really solid situation that will help him put up a better season than he would elsewhere.

What is his ceiling in 2025? That has yet to be seen, but PFF believes his ceiling is incredibly high. As in, so high he could lead all fantasy football wide receivers in points this season, which would be almost incomprehensible for a rookie.

Tetairoa McMillan tabbed for huge year by PFF

Though he's not the favorite nor even PFF's best dark-horse candidate, Tetairoa McMillan's chances can't be overlooked. He's in a really good spot to be a great fantasy player, someone that managers need to have on their radar.

"There might not be a better value than top-10 NFL draft pick Tetairoa McMillan, who is currently going as the consensus WR28 in fantasy drafts and is set to operate as the Panthers' clear WR1 as a rookie. McMillan has the skill set and situation to thrive right out of the gate in the NFL and for fantasy," Jonathan Macri argued.

There are several reasons for this:

He's been excellent at training camp
Chemistry with Bryce Young
Very little WR competition on depth chart
Volume

So far, McMillan has been as advertised for the Panthers. He started a bit slow, but he's catching virtually everything now, even the passes he has no business bringing down. The rookie has been exactly what Carolina hoped he would be.

Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) takes the field during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The chemistry with Bryce Young is also very real. They're still having some QB-rookie WR issues, but it's clear that the offseason work pre-draft and all the practices in camp have paid off and is only making them stronger.

And for all the depth the Panthers have (Hunter Renfrow called it the deepest WR room he's ever been in), there's not a lot of high-end talent. Adam Thielen, who's always been more of a WR2, is the default WR1, but he's aging. Xavier Legette hasn't looked like a WR1, and everyone else is either a veteran depth piece or an unproven talent. McMillan has a clear path to the top.

With that will undoubtedly come a lot of targets, thereby giving McMillan the volume he needs to surprise the fantasy world. If Thielen can have fantasy-relevant years with Young feeding him the ball, so can McMillan.

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