Panthers vs. 49ers Monday Night Football DraftKings Showdown Best Wide Receivers

The wide receivers will be the true swing factor in Monday Night Football’s Panthers vs. 49ers DraftKings Showdown, with value plays like Jalen Coker pushing back against high-priced options such as Ricky Pearsall and Xavier Legette.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The wide receiver options for the DraftKings showdown on Monday night will determine who wins and loses in this contest. I see two overpriced players (Ricky Pearsall and Xavier Legette), while Jalen Coker could prove to be the value wideout.

Week 12 Monday Night Football Wide Receiver Projections

Shawn Childs

Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers (DK: $7,000)

Jennings has underachieved expectations in the fantasy market in 2025. His impact value in three games (11/175/3, 10/91/, and 7/90/2) painted a higher ceiling for 2025, but injuries derailed the early part of his year. After a tease showing in Week 2 (5/89/1), Jennings wasn’t worth investing in the DFS market until his last three contests (4/41/1, 6/71/1, and 4/54). 

Shawn Childs

The Panthers will give up big plays to wide receivers (13.2 yards per catch), but they’ve only allowed six touchdowns to them while playing one more game than most teams. Carolina sits eighth in wide receiver defense (284.30 fantasy points).

• Drake London (5/55)
• Stefon Diggs (6/101)
• Jaylen Waddle (6/110/1)
• George Pickens (9/168/1)
• Khalil Shakir (6/88/1)
• Romeo Doubs (7/91)
• Chris Olave (5/104/1)
• Drake London (7/119)

With Rick Pearsall back in the starting lineup, the target pie for the 49ers is now divided up by more plays. Christian McCaffrey commands the football, but one other receiver in San Fran can be more active than expected from week to week. Jennings is trending higher, and his salary supports about 14.00 fantasy points in this game. 

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Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers (DK: $7,600)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) looks on before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

When the 2025 fantasy football season opened in the DFS market, Pearsall had a favorable salary. He played well in Week 1 (4/108) and Week 3 (8/117), but a knee issue cost him six games. In his first game back last week, Pearsall caught one of his two targets for no yards. The 49ers had him on the field for 75% of their plays, matching Jauan Jennings for a team high at wide receiver.

His role is projected to be more of a splash player for Brock Purdy, requiring him to hit a long scoring play to post a winning fantasy day. He should be more active this week, but a 4/60 day won’t pay the fantasy bills. Pearsall is a live option in this matchup due to his talent and scoring potential.

Last week, the 49ers gave Demarcus Robinson WR3 snaps (49%) over Kendrick Bourne (24%). Over the previous five games with Ricky Pearsall out, Bourne was on the field for 236 plays compared to 114 plays by Robinson.

Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers (DK: $9,400)

When looking over the wide receiver rankings for the season after 11 weeks, I was surprised to see that McMillan ranked 13th in fantasy points (152.80) in PPR formats. He scored under 14.00 fantasy points in seven of his first 10 starts, with a peak showing in Week 6 (3/29/2 – 17.90 fantasy points). The Panthers gave him a season-high 12 targets in Week 11, leading to an impact game (8/130/2 – 33.00 fantasy points), pushing him up the wide receiver rankings and helping DFS players win tons of money.

Shawn Childs

The 49ers fall to last in wide receiver defense (397.70 fantasy points) after getting lit up three times over the past seven weeks (LAR – 19/278/1, HOU – 21/224/2, and LAR – 24/271/1). They’ve allowed the most wide receiver catches (150), with four offenses scoring at least two touchdowns from their wideouts.

• Jaxon Smith-Njiba (9/124)
• Chris Olave (6/54)
• Puka Nacua (10/85/1)
• Davante Adams (5/88)
• Kameron Johnson (4/64/1)
• Drake London (4/42)
• Xavier Hutchinson (5/69/1)
• Wan’Dale Robinson (9/46)
• Davante Adams (6/77/1)
• Puka Nacua (5/64/1)
• Greg Dotrch (6/66/1)
• Michael Wilson (15/185)

McMillan’s success last week, and his matchup screams play me. Many other top receivers have had success vs. the 49ers, but that ceiling can’t be achieved if Carolina throws the ball fewer than 30 times. 

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Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers (DK: $6,400)

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) on the field before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Nine games into 2025, Legette is trailing expectations based on his rookie success (49/497/4). He flashed his future potential in Week 7 (9/92/1) and Week 11 (4/83/1), but the Panthers barely got him involved in six other matchups (3/10, 1/-2, 2/11, 2/17, 1/22, and 0/0). Legette has been out-snapped over the past two games by Jalen Coker (81 to 94).

Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers (DK: $4,000)

Coker has been back on the field for four games. He’s still looking for his first touchdown while falling to score over 10.00 fantasy points in any matchup or see more than four targets. Last season, Coker delivered three playable outcomes (4/78/1, 4/110/1, and 7/62). Based on the direction of his playing time, Coker is a viable backend player due to his salary cap relief.