Tetairoa McMillan Fantasy Football Impact Carolina Panthers
With the 8th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers selected WR Tetairoa McMillan. Leading up to the draft, outside of Travis Hunter (whom most in the football community didn’t know if he was going to play wide receiver or cornerback or both in the NFL), Tetairoa McMillan was considered the top wide receiver prospect out of college. Continue reading as we break down the fantasy football impact of McMillan with the Carolina Panthers.
Strengths for Fantasy Football Production
McMillan is an imposing physical presence at the wide receiver position. He is listed at 6’5 and 218 pounds and will have a clear size and frame advantage over many corners in the league. Many have compared him to a slender Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Over the last two seasons with the Arizona Wildcats, McMillan has been fantastic. He caught 174 passes for an impressive 2,721 yards to go along with 18 touchdowns.
Furthermore, most will automatically peg McMillan as the X receiver in the Panthers’ offense. While that may prove to be true, McMillan has shown more versatility at the collegiate level. He can play and win at all three levels of the field, and this versatility is a huge strength of his. Additionally, he is more agile than his size would suggest. Also, he is a stellar run-after-the-catch receiver who can make contested catches even in tight spaces. He also has the strength to shrug off arm tackles to gain more yards after the catch.
Fantasy Football Challenges and Risks
One of McMillan’s biggest knocks is his vertical separation. Unfortunately, he lacks the top-end speed and explosiveness to consistently threaten defenses vertically when he aligns outside. Some have accused him of not selling his routes consistently.
Last year, quarterback Bryce Young improved immensely during the second half of last season. However, there is always the fear that he may revert back to his rookie season or to his first half performance in 2024. During that time, he averaged 8 fantasy points per game. If that is the case, McMillan may never reach his full potential early on in his Panthers’ career.
Tetairoa McMillan Fantasy Football Outlook for 2025
There were not many more ideal landing spots for McMillan entering the draft. He automatically enters the 2025 season as Young’s number one receiver and target.
Last season, the Panthers rotated Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, David Moore, and Jalen Coker at the wide receiver position. Ultimately, there with no clear X receiver. Even though McMillan can play all parts of the field, he walks into the Panthers’ receiving room as the clear X on this offense.
Furthermore, Young’s play has fluctuated over the past couple of years. However, early on in his career, he has shown a tendency to lock on to one receiver and feed him targets. In 2023, Thielen from Weeks 1-13 (before Young’s play really nosedived) was the WR15. Last season, from Weeks 12-18, when Young’s play dramatically improved, Thielen was the WR14. There is no reason to think that McMillan could not produce similarly. If not better than Thielen. This would make him a mid-range WR2 for fantasy football purposes. With additional upside as well.
Dynasty Football Outlook
Currently, McMillan stands just outside the top 15 in wide receiver dynasty rankings. It would not be shocking to see him climb a bit higher than that and close to low-end WR1 status as the offseason progresses. As expected, he’s near the top in our latest dynasty rookie ADP.
Ultimately, the Panthers are clearly looking to give their franchise quarterback another weapon to continue his upward trajectory. McMillan enters the Panthers’ offense as the number one receiver and could be attached to the hip of quarterback Young for years to come. McMillan has immense value in dynasty fantasy football leagues, and rightfully so.
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