Tetairoa McMillan's Huge Week 4 Fuels a Fantasy Football Buy, Sell or Hold Debate
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Tetairoa McMillan won many fantasy matchups this week for those who own the Panthers star wide receiver. On Sunday Night Football, McMillan caught 14 of 16 targets for 192 yards and 2 touchdowns. He owns the WR1 overall this week with 45.2 fantasy points. The question now: Should McMillan be sold high?
The Stardom of Tetairoa McMillan
Tetairoa McMillan absolutely TOOK OVER against Detroit.
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) October 5, 2026
14 REC, 192 REC YDS, 13.7 AVG, 2 TD vs Lions
McMillan is building off of his huge rookie year and looking like a true WR1 for Carolina. https://t.co/cvv8di0xYV pic.twitter.com/ABufeAo5Xu
To date, McMillan is averaging 9.3 targets, 6.5 receptions, 96.5 yards, and 0.5 touchdowns per game. In three of his four games this season, McMillan has received at least 8 targets.
McMillan is adding 14.8 yards per reception, a 70% catch rate, 27% target share, and zero drops.
However, we must weight how the Week 5 potential return of Jalen Coker can affect McMillan.
In Week 4, McMillan ran 100% of possible routes. Not a single snap that resulted in a throw by Bryce Young was without McMillan. That is unchanged whether Coker is active or not, with McMillan playing just about 100% of passing snaps this season.
In Weeks 1-3, McMillan has had about a 20% target share. In that same timeframe, Coker's target share actually exceeds McMillan's by just a tad, at 21%. So, while McMillan's route share is unchanged, his target share certainly is.
The Panthers value Coker enormously. He has run a route on just about 95% of Panthers passing attempts. Naturally, Coker demands his targets as much as McMillan demands his. Neither John Metchie III nor Brycen Tremayne is a high-volume receiver. Neither is Darren Waller at tight end.
Coker's return will reduce McMillan's output. While he can project a mid-20% target share with 30%+ upside, the big game he had in Week 4 will be rarer.
The Panthers currently lead the NFL in passing with 301 yards per game. As good as that is, McMillan still sat outside WR1 range for 3 weeks. When considering what may come, I factor in normalization — "to bring or restore to a normal condition."
It is much more likely that the Panthers will trend downward in passing, say to 275 yards per game, rather than trend upward to 320 yards and beyond. Given that fact, and McMillan's limited ceiling, we cannot overvalue his fantasy rating.
According to FantasyPros.com, McMillan's rest-of-season ranking is WR19 in fantasy football. That is a sandwich between Jaylen Waddle and Garrett Wilson.
While the ceiling here remains high, and McMillan will likely have WR1-caliber weeks in the future, the expectation ranges are as stated.
Buy, Sell, or Hold: Tetairoa McMillan
I do not believe that is a set answer here. The decision depends on the offer.
If McMillan can be sold for a top-15 wide receiver with formidable upside, the deal may be worth it. The best wide receiver candidate I consider is Garrett Wilson, who should command a target share above 30% on a Jets team that will soften up in games.
McMillan is unlikely to be a buy-low candidate following his massive last game. I would definitely hold McMillan if owned, as his value lies around his preseason ADP.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.