FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Tetairoa McMillan Immediately Takes Receiving Lead

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Mon, Sep 8 2025 2:37 AM UTC

Panthers rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan delivered a solid first outing, especially when you consider how poorly his pass offense fared overall. McMillan led group in total snaps (53 of 64), routes (35 of 40), targets (9), receptions (5), and receiving yards (68). He accounted for 27.8% of the team's completions, 44.2% of the receiving yards, and 47.5% of the targeted air yards, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. McMillan was the only Panther to catch more than three passes and the only guy to exceed 32 receiving yards.

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

RB Chuba Hubbard checked in next with a 3-32-1 receiving line, powered by his 27-yard catch-and-run TD late in the fourth quarter.

WR Xavier Legette ranked second on the team with seven targets but caught just three for 10 yards. WR Hunter Renfrow also managed just a pair of catches for 11 yards among six targets.

All of those factors feed into why we liked the immediate upside on McMillan -- and why the Panthers drafted him eighth overall. They needed him badly. And that was before they traded Adam Thielen to Minnesota and lost Jalen Coker to short-term IR.

QB Bryce Young's rough outing against the Jaguars presented the biggest downside risk for McMillan.

If Young continues to struggle similarly, then it'll limit everyone. If Young shakes off a rough Week 1 and improves at all, then McMillan should benefit.

Matchups with Arizona and Atlanta the next two weeks don't look scary.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.