The Carolina Panthers‘ first-round selection of wide receiver Xavier Legette represented the NFL’s worst team making one of many efforts to improve its offense and give former No. 1 overall pick quarterback Bryce Young some additional weapons.
But with a pair of established veterans in front of Legette on the WR depth chart, how much fantasy value does the rookie actually have?
Here is Legette’s fantasy outlook for the 2024 season.
Xavier Legette’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
The combination of size (6’3″, 227 pounds) and deep-ball ability (17.7 yards per reception in 2023 at South Carolina) makes Legette a very appealing and intriguing choice for fantasy managers.
The Panthers, desperate to give Young every opportunity to succeed, made the choice to bring in a primary pass catcher with their first-round pick in last April’s NFL Draft.
Although he spent five seasons with the Gamecocks, it was only really one season — his last — that propelled Legette into a first-rounder. Legette caught 71 passes in 12 games for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns. Only New York Giants sixth overall pick and LSU superstar wideout Malik Nabers had more receiving yards in the SEC last season.
Perhaps the biggest eye-opening stat for fantasy managers strategizing for value is Legette’s average yards per reception. Of the 63 players in the FBS that had at least 60 catches last season, only two had a higher yards per reception average than Legette. One of those two wideouts, Marvin Harrison Jr., was the fourth overall selection in his draft class.
In other words: Legette put up numbers that, in many ways, were comparable with a pair of receivers drafted in the top 10 of the NFL Draft.
The Panthers’ bye week is in Week 11.
Is Legette a Good Fantasy Pick?
Legette ranks as the No. 71 wide receiver in Pro Football Network’s Consensus Fantasy Football Rankings as of Aug. 27. However, that is only slightly behind last year’s leading receiver for the Panthers, Adam Thielen (No. 69), and he caught over 100 passes last season.
It may not be easy getting on the field at first, with veterans like Thielen and offseason acquisition Diontae Johnson set as the wide receiver starters for Carolina.
However, given that he was a first-round pick (along with the Panthers’ ineptitude on offense), it seems likely that Legette will get some opportunities to show what he can do.
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But exactly what he can do as a rookie remains to be seen, especially since we didn’t see anything from Legette in the preseason.
For those in dynasty leagues, Legette seems like a good player to pick up because his potential down the road seems pretty solid.
In the present, it might be a risk to take a wide receiver who had just one breakout season in five years of college ball.