When to Draft Every Fantasy Football-Relevant Panthers Player

The NFL season is just 7 days away. With the season so close to starting, fantasy football draft season is in full swing.

Fantasy football has become a staple of the sport, gaining popularity every year and giving fans a way to be invested in not just their team, but also in other teams and the best players on the planet.

When it comes to the Carolina Panthers, there aren't any first- or second-round fantasy picks, but opportunities to get great value midway and later on in the draft.

Any Panthers fan who really wants to get their favorite player doesn't need to reach early. Whether it's a 10- or 12-team league, here's where to target each Panther who will get drafted.

Tetairoa McMillan

By far the highest-ranked Panther in fantasy drafts. Expect to still see McMillan on the board in round four of drafts. In a 12-man league, the end of the third round is feasible, but depending on who's on the board, the fourth round is realistic.

The ideal scenario for a team featuring McMillan is that it's a running back-heavy first two rounds, with McMillan being drafted as a WR2.

The talent of McMillan alone matches that of a lot of top receivers, but guys like Patriots' WR AJ Brown or Cowboys' WR George Pickens are in better situations as a whole. No one should reach for McMillan over either of them.

Panthers' Backfield

Jonathon Brooks and Chuba Hubbards — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks can share this section because they're likely going to be drafted in the same round, at most within two rounds of each other.

Before Hubbard's hamstring injury, Hubbard would've been the clear first choice. Hubbard's track record and lack of health scares compared to Brooks both pointed to Hubbard being the bell-cow RB.

That's not the case anymore, at least for fantasy purposes. Hubbard's hamstring injury, combined with Brooks legitimately being the healthiest he's been since college, has fans intrigued by his upside.

Expect to see both Hubbard and Brooks anywhere from rounds 8-10 in drafts. Both RBs rank roughly in the low 30s. In fact, on ESPN, Brooks is currently RB 32, and Hubbard is RB 33.

With Hubbard trending towards a Week 1 return, it makes sense to take him first, but theres certainly nothing wrong with betting on the youth and upside of Brooks as a fresh face in this backfield.

Jalen Coker

A late draft, sneaky WR pick that can be sold on either Coker's end to the 2025 season, and the potential of his value if McMillan gets hurt.

Coker could turn into a league-winning pick if his production stays consistent with the 1000-yard pace he had for the final 5 games of 2025. Anywhere from the 11th to 13th round is where Coker has great value.

The Panthers' passing game feels like it's going to be a two-man show. Coker meshed with Panthers QB Bryce Young extremely well down the stretch of last season, and now enters 2026 fully healthy, which wasn't the case last year.

Bryce Young

No sugarcoating it: do not draft Bryce Young in your fantasy football draft. There's a strong likelihood that Young will be on waivers after a fantasy draft is concluded.

The only scenario where Young can be drafted is extremely late in a 12-man league. Young is consensus-ranked anywhere from QB21 to QB25. In a 10 man league, unless someone is just a die hard Panthers fan, It's almost certain that Young wont be drafted, and shouldn't be.

Fantasy managers are much better off taking a flier on a young upside skill player than drafting Young as their QB2.

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