Tetairoa McMillan was the Offensive Rookie of the Year a season ago, establishing himself as the future of the position for a Carolina team that hopes to be digging out of the basement. This is more a Bryce Young question than anything: do you trust him to support your fourth-round pick?
Should You Draft Tetairoa McMillan in Fantasy Football?
Tetairoa McMillan was a rookie sensation in a Carolina Panthers offense that was otherwise lukewarm for fantasy purposes.
As of early September, T-Mac has an ADP of 38.6. PFN’s consensus ranking is a little lower, 40th overall. He’s the WR21 on the current pecking order, with a projected points per game this season of 14.2.
As a rookie, McMillan finished as the WR16 in PPR formats and the WR15 in half-PPR formats, with 70 catches for over 1,000 yards and 7 touchdowns, and he was recognized as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
By all accounts, it was a successful inaugural season for the former first-round pick. He never fell below 5 targets in a week in the first 12 weeks of the season, showing off that consistency as an asset and a target. But he also showed off his big-play potential throughout the year, registering 17 receptions of 20-plus yards on the season.
T-Mac will now be the Panthers’ clear WR1 and a top target in 2026. He definitely needs to cut down his drop rate a little and improve his response to physicality at the catch point, but he has the frame and the reach to control that phase of his game.
Already as a separator, he appears well beyond his years and his size profile. I’m high on Jalen Coker at his individual value, but even so, I think T-Mac has a sizable advantage in the race to peak volume in the Panthers’ attack. If he saw 122 targets as a rookie, I don’t think it’s brash to say that he could see at least 140 in 2026.
The biggest concerns with T-Mac might be related to Bryce Young. Young’s quarterback analytics still paint him as a bottom-third QB in the league, and his passing volume can greatly fluctuate week to week, which has a downstream impact on T-Mac and the other receivers.
I’m not necessarily reaching for T-Mac, but I’m extremely comfortable taking him at or around his listed ADP. If he falls into round 4, in my opinion, that’s a can’t-miss value based on his volume opportunity, working for a middle-of-the-road team that may be passing more at times to combat negative or neutral game scripts, and the promising early returns of his inaugural season.
I think T-Mac is a clear WR1 with a clear volume opportunity, and he has the chemistry with Bryce Young. For me, it’s a no-brainer at a certain point. I’m not reaching for him, but at his ADP around that round 4 range, I’m definitely running to the board.
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Tetairoa McMillan’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
McMillan took home OROY honors in 2025 and showed some real sticky skills in doing so despite playing for an offense that has largely been stuck in the mud during Bryce Young’s tenure.
What has my interest piqued in this specific matchup is twofold: depth and score.
Last season, when McMillan’s aDOT was above his season average, he averaged 12.8% more points and scored 13.9% above expectation (all other games: 8.5% below expectation). That’ll be a concerning pattern in tougher matchups, but the Bears are coming off of a season in which they allowed the second-highest deep-pass TD rate in the sport (11.9% of deep passes ended in touchdowns, NFL average: 7%).
He also saw his efficiency tick up when the Panthers were playing from behind, a common occurrence last season and something I expect to very much be the case this weekend given my levels of trust in what Chicago can be.
I was a little lower than consensus this preseason on Year 2 McMillan, but that’s not a knock on the talent, and it’s not an opinion I have for Week 1: fire him up in all formats and use him as a strategic DFS piece if you don’t mind swallowing the Bears chalk on the other side.
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Where McMillan Ranks Among 2026 Wide Receivers
- Jaylen Waddle | DEN
- DeVonta Smith | PHI
- Ladd McConkey | LAC
- Emeka Egbuka | TB
- Terry McLaurin | WAS
- Tetairoa McMillan | CAR
- Garrett Wilson | NYJ
- Luther Burden III | CHI
- Parker Washington | JAX
- Christian Watson | GB
- Jameson Williams | DET
Want to dive in more? PFN’s Complete PPR Wide Receiver Rankings are updated weekly.
