Darren Waller has been getting the first team reps at practice and hit 20.8 mph on a route on Monday. The Panthers recently signed the 34 year old Waller after his 1.75 Yards Per Route Run (YPRR) ranked No. 8 in 2025. Waller’s athleticism is showcased by a 127.3 (90th percentile) Burst Score and 10.38 (97th percentile) Catch Radius, and he will serve as the No. 3 pass-catching option behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker for quarterback Bryce Young.
Monitor Carolina’s tight end usage in Week 1 before plugging Waller into fantasy lineups. Waller has been an ADP value for redraft leagues, especially TE-premium scoring formats. The Panthers offense will determine whether Waller is a fantasy staple or merely a match-up driven streaming fantasy football option. ~Jason Diaz
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker has set his ...
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker missed the ...
The Carolina Panthers and wide receiver Jalen Coker agreed ...
Cross Chris Brazzell off your list of draftable players. That clears the runway for Xavier Legette, who posted a 35.5-percent College Dominator Rating on a very late 22.6 Breakout Age, to secure three-receiver set snaps.
Brazzell profiled as an athletic field stretcher with massive bust risk coming out of Tennessee, even before the injury. Though he will miss the season, dynasty managers can stash him on IR but should not expect late-season production. Meanwhile, Jalen Coker‘s stock just continues to rise and rise.
Tetairoa McMillan fully cleared his spring foot issue just in time for training camp after commanding a 25.4% Target Share and 40.9% Air Yards Share in his award-winning 70-1,014-7 rookie campaign. Moving the 23-year-old into the slot—where he logged a mere 15.0% Slot Rate last season—creates mismatch nightmares against safeties and linebackers to unlock explosive, high-efficiency target volume.
Carolina’s anemic offense is all that is holding back McMillan in 2026. Fantasy drafters can fire him up with confidence as a high-floor second-year breakout candidate, though the upside is capped.
After Tetairoa McMillan posted a mere 15.0-percent Slot Rate in 2025, Wolfe insists that the Panthers plan to “double that, if not more.” McMillan will match up more against safeties and linebackers, which will boost his efficiency. This report also signals increased faith in Jalen Coker‘s ability to win outside.
After posting a PPR WR16 finish as a rookie, McMillan has added 8 to 10 pounds bolsters his frame to withstand contact over the middle. Enhanced slot usage should also increase his target share as McMillan positions himself for a career year in 2026. Though Carolina’s offense will make it difficult for him to break into the Top-12 WRs, McMillan is currently PlayerProfiler’s WR20 in most seasonal league formats.
Despite logging a minuscule 0.94 Yards Per Route Run and averaging just 6.0 Fantasy Points Per Game in a run-heavy Carolina offense last season, Xavier Legette is reportedly displaying improved professional focus on both the playbook and the field. Team officials are also praising his work ethic, a necessary step after his meager 35-reception debut resulted in a low 12.9-percent Dominator Rating.
Like his contemporary Keon Coleman, Legette is heading into a make-or-break season in the National Football League. History has not been kind to player’s of Legette’s archetype, as most first-rounders who flame out in Year 1 and 2 never recover. While Legette’s roster spot is secure with Tet McMillan still nursing a sore foot, and he will face additional target competition in training camp after the Panthers drafted Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell in the third round. Legette is a long-shot to ever become a consistent fantasy producer and can be left on waiver wires in all but the deepest fantasy football dynasty league formats.
Jalen Coker just leveraged his elite +27.6% Target Premium (No. 7 among league wideouts) and 66.7% Contested Catch Rate into a healthy three-year extension with incentives that max out the deal at $41 million. As an undrafted free agent, Panthers brass did not want to see Coker hit free agency after just three years with the team.
Despite a quad injury sidelining him early in his sophomore year, the Holy Cross product proved his efficiency with a 2.10 Fantasy Points Per Target mark (No. 9) and a late-season scoring surge.
Coker is being drafted as an efficient WR4/FLEX option. With Tet McMillan still nursing a sore foot, Coker has been hogging training camp reps and impressing Carolina’s front office. With the organization now fully invested in his success, Coker continues to be a high-floor smash in all fantasy football formats possessing a Michael Wilson 2025 celing.