Carolina Panthers News

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard was one of the biggest surprises in fantasy in 2024, racking up 1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns in a season that would earn him a four-year, $33 million extension with the team. Injuries and inconsistency derailed his 2025 campaign, and he finished the year as the clear backup to Rico Dowdle, handling double-digit carries only one time after Week 8. With Dowdle departing in free agency and the Panthers making no significant additions to the position, Hubbard potentially faces a training camp battle with 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks. Reports out of the non-padded setting of minicamp praised Brooks for the explosiveness he's recaptured since an ACL tear ended his rookie season, but it's important to remember the injury was the second of its kind in 13 months, sandwiched around only nine professional carries. It's extremely unlikely that Brooks would step fully into Dowdle's vacated role and inherit the bulk of his 282 opportunities from a season ago. With Hubbard now also nearly ten months removed from the calf injury that landed him on injured reserve and reportedly tested his confidence upon his return, a split backfield in Carolina could lead to one of the league's more ambiguous situations and depressed ADPs for both players. Neither Hubbard nor Brooks is currently being drafted within the top 30 of the position, and with Dave Canales producing a top 16 fantasy back in each of his three seasons calling plays for Carolina and Tampa Bay, the opportunity is there for one or both to return difference-making value in 2026.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker missed the first six games of the 2025 season due to a quad injury. The 24-year-old posted modest numbers upon his return, recording 33 receptions for 394 yards and three touchdowns on 43 targets across 11 games. Still, Carolina saw enough from Coker to sign him to a three-year contract extension over the offseason, and he enters 2026 as the projected WR2 for the Panthers. Coker has missed 12 games across his first two NFL seasons, so injury concerns are unquestionably present in his profile. Still, the young wideout could be in line for a breakout season if he can finally put together a fully healthy campaign. As the WR56 by current average draft position in redraft leagues, Coker may be a sneaky sleeper for fantasy managers to target ahead of 2026.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan finished as the WR15 in his first professional season, and with the coaching staff remaining largely intact and the team returning nine of 11 offensive starters from a season ago, the only thing standing in the way of a true WR1 breakout could be an overall lack of passing volume. As a rookie, McMillan more than doubled his next closest teammate with a 26.3% target share, but in an offense that threw the ball only 515 times, his 120 total targets ranked 13th in the league. While the biggest change coming to Carolina's offense for 2026 is offensive coordinator Brad Idzik's promotion to full-time playcaller, head coach Dave Canales will still have his fingerprints on the team's weekly game plans, and only nine teams have thrown fewer passes than the Panthers since he took over in 2024. While an improving receiver room could lead Idzik to play more to the team's strengths, an increase of overall volume could be counter-balanced by the rising involvement of third-year receiver Jalen Coker, who missed the first six weeks of the season, but found himself on a 95-target pace of his own over the final seven games of the regular season and playoffs. At RotoBaller's WR18, McMillan profiles as one of the safest, most reliable WR2 options in 2026, but for drafters seeking top-five upside, other receivers going in his range of the draft come with higher ceilings (and more accompanying risk).

Despite the fact that he has not played sustained meaningful football since 2023, Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks continues to pick up steam heading into the 2026 season. With best ball drafts and some early redraft leagues already underway, Brooks has been one of the fastest risers by ADP, and the bull case is easy to see. Brooks was the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL Draft after a final collegiate season at Texas in which he topped 1,400 yards from scrimmage and double-digit touchdowns while showcasing his versatility in the passing game. Carolina's leading rusher from 2025, Rico Dowdle, is no longer with the team, and reports out of the non-contact setting of minicamp have some believing that Brooks could push veteran Chuba Hubbard for a starting role. Hubbard was unimpressive for much of 2025, but it's important to remember that he was dealing with a lingering calf issue for most of the year, and while Brooks represents unproven upside, two catastrophic knee injuries have limited him to only 23 total snaps and nine rushing attempts in his short career. With a rising swell of support for Brooks, there's little question about which Panthers running back to roster in dynasty leagues, but for 2026 redraft leagues, with their ADPs creeping closer and closer together, Brooks has the potential to disappoint if Carolina opts to give first crack at starting duties to a healthy Hubbard.

A third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell II could have a chance to carve out an immediate role with his new team. Across 12 games for the University of Tennessee in 2025, Brazzell II recorded 62 catches for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns. The Panthers have Tetairoa McMillan locked in as their WR1 on the outside, and the team recently committed to slot wideout Jalen Coker with a multi-year contract extension. However, Brazzell II may enter training camp in a job battle with third-year Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette for the team's WR3 role. Legette has largely been a disappointment since being selected by Carolina in the first round of the 2024 draft, failing to reach 50 catches or 500 receiving yards in either of his first two NFL seasons. With a strong summer, Brazzell II could establish himself as a building block in the Panthers passing game. Entering 2026, Brazzell II ranks as RotoBaller's dynasty WR67.

Across 16 games in 2025, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 63.6% of his pass attempts for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. The 24-year-old also provided modest production with his legs, rushing for 216 yards and two scores on 54 attempts. While Young has made definite strides since his disastrous rookie season in 2023, he's yet to prove he can provide consistent top-12 fantasy production. At the same time, Young finished as the QB19 in 2025, putting him solidly in the QB2 range. There's also a chance that the Panthers operate with less of a run-heavy approach in 2026 after losing running back Rico Dowdle in free agency. Even if Young's development stagnates and his 2026 production mirrors his 2025 output, he should outperform his current redraft ADP of QB26. In superflex formats, Young may be a sneaky sleeper for fantasy managers to target.

A sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. caught only 11 passes for 108 yards as a rookie, and he could now be fighting for his roster spot heading into Year 2. At 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, Horn's role in his first season was largely limited to clear-out routes and a handful of catch-and-run gadget plays, but with the team drafting Chris Brazzell II in the third round of the NFL Draft and adding John Metchie III through free agency, those responsibilities could go elsewhere in 2026. Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker are locked into the top two spots on the depth chart, while 2024 first-round pick Xavier Leggette offers big-bodied depth behind them, and with Horn making limited special teams contributions as a rookie, he could be hard-pressed to earn a roster spot as a sixth receiver. Even if he does stick around with Carolina or latch on with another team after training camp, Horn is not a player who needs to be considered for fantasy at RotoBaller's dynasty WR144.

After a quiet start to the year with the Philadelphia Eagles, wide receiver John Metchie III was a 2025 trade deadline acquisition of the New York Jets, where a much thinner depth chart allowed him to catch 28 passes for 253 yards and two scores over his final eight games. While not earth-shattering numbers, his 17-game pace of 60-538-4 would represent career-highs across the board, and he proved himself a fantasy viable player with two finishes as the WR17 or better. His one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers was one of the more under-the-radar signings of the 2026 free agency period, but in another receiver room that thins out quickly behind Tetatiroa McMillan and Jalen Coker, there is a role to be carved out in an offense that has seen more than 63% of its targets go to wide receivers in the past two years under Dave Canales. The Panthers spent a 2026 third-round pick on Chris Brazzell II, and 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette is still on the team, so there's no guarantee of Metchie's spot in the pecking order, but at RotoBaller's WR129, he is a dart throw whose value has sunk so low he can almost be seen as a free throw-in as part of a larger trade.

It didn't look good for wide receiver Xavier Legette when the Carolina Panthers drafted University of Tennessee wideout Chris Brazzell II in the third round this year. However, teammates and coaches have indicated that Legette "might be figuring out some things" after he struggled with drops and other "mishaps" in his first two seasons, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. Quarterback Bryce Young has also said he's having "next-level conversations" with Legette about routes, play concepts, and coverages. "From the minute he's gotten here, he's 100 miles an hour," head coach Dave Canales said. "He's putting in the time in the playbook. He's busting his butt on the field, working on little technical skills." The 25-year-old former first-rounder in 2024 out of the University of South Carolina lost around eight pounds in the offseason and worked to "bulletproof" his hamstring. It sounds like he knows he's a player who is running out of chances. It remains to be seen if Legette's hard work will pay off, but there's no guarantee he'll return to WR2 duties in 2026 while he battles for targets with Brazzell and Jalen Coker. In 12-team leagues, Legette will go undrafted this fall.

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders has yet to make a fantasy impact in the NFL since coming into the league as a highly productive pass-catcher at Texas. The 2024 fourth-round pick missed five games in his sophomore season and ended the year with only 190 receiving yards on a paltry 6.6 yards per catch. Dating back to his time with Tampa, head coach Dave Canales has never had a tight end reach 50 receptions or 500 yards, and through his first three seasons, quarterback Bryce Young has yet to prove capable of supporting a high-volume passing offense. That said, if there is a tight end on the roster capable of spurring a philosophical shift, it is undoubtedly Sanders, with the rest of the depth chart built out by dedicated blockers Tommy Tremble and James Mitchell, along with 2025 fifth-round pick Mitchell Evans. At RotoBaller's dynasty TE40, there is still hope of a moderate third-year breakout for Sanders, but with two years remaining on his rookie deal, if the Panthers offense doesn't take a meaningful step forward in 2026, he could ultimately prove to be little more than a frustrating dynasty hold.

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard is no stranger to ambiguous backfields, but what he faces heading into the 2026 season may be the most unsettled room of his six-year career. Conflicting reports seem to emerge almost weekly about how Hubbard and unproven third-year back Jonathon Brooks will split work. Brooks was a second-round pick and the first running back off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft, while Hubbard was given a four-year, $33 million extension that same year after Brooks tore his right ACL for the second time in just over a year. With Brooks sitting out the entire 2025 season, Hubbard was slowed by his own nagging ailments and eventually overtaken in the starting role by Rico Dowdle, who has since signed a two-year deal with the Steelers. While Brooks has arguably the brighter future in Carolina, uncertainty about how things might look in 2026 has driven down the cost of both players, and at RotoBaller's dynasty RB33, the 27-year-old Hubbard is an affordable trade target who could offer depth and a number of usable starts for contending managers.

The Carolina Panthers and wide receiver Jalen Coker agreed to a three-year contract extension on Thursday worth $35 million, with incentives potentially taking the deal up to $41 million, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Coker was set to be an exclusive-rights free agent this year and a restricted free agent next year. The 24-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross has battled injuries in his first two seasons in the NFL, playing in a total of 22 regular-season games (seven starts) while catching 65 passes for 872 yards and five touchdowns on 89 targets. Coker came on strong late last season for the Panthers and has averaged a healthy 13.4 yards per reception since entering the league. Going into Year 3 in 2026, Coker is expected to be Carolina's primary slot receiver as their No. 2 behind second-year wideout Tetairoa McMillan. If Coker can stay healthy all year, he has clear potential to have a breakout campaign and be a solid sleeper for fantasy managers. RotoBaller currently has him ranked as the No. 50 fantasy WR going into the 2026 season. Coker isn't a burner by any means, but he's explosive after the catch and has excellent hands.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette said he lost seven to nine pounds in the offseason and is now down to 221 pounds, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. Legette also said he's tried to "bulletproof" his hamstrings after previously having issues with them. The 25-year-old, who was the 32nd overall pick in 2024 out of South Carolina, has failed to live up to his lofty draft capital in his first two years in the NFL in Carolina. Legette has totaled 84 receptions on 148 targets for 860 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 31 regular-season games (25 starts). His production took a dip last year, too, as he finished with a 35-363-3 line on 64 targets across 15 regular-season contests. Last year's first-rounder, Tetairoa McMillan, looks like the real deal, and Jalen Coker appears primed to be a breakout candidate in his third year as the team's WR2. That leaves Legette battling with John Metchie III and rookie Chris Brazzell II for targets as the Panthers' WR3. In standard 12-team fantasy leagues in 2026, Legette should go undrafted.

When Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, he came into the league with one of the stranger collegiate careers in recent memory. Never topping 11 receptions, 113 yards, or one score in any of his first four seasons at South Carolina, he exploded for 72 catches, 1,255 yards, and seven touchdowns as a fifth-year senior. While almost everything about his profile screamed fool's gold, his physical makeup paired with the draft capital was enough for dynasty drafters to envision a sky-high ceiling and take a swing, with Legette climbing as high as WR38 in consensus dynasty rankings before ever taking an NFL snap. Through two seasons in the league, it can reasonably be said that the experiment has not worked out, with Legette totaling 84 catches for 860 yards and seven touchdowns to this point in his career. While he has shown sporadic flashes, he's yet to establish any usable fantasy consistency, having put together back-to-back top 40 finishes only once, with WR32 and WR25 results in Weeks 8 and 9 of his rookie season. With Jalen Coker and Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan seemingly locked into the top two-receiver spots in Carolina, Legette's opportunities will likely still be limited heading into year three, and he has fallen to WR118 in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker is having a "strong offseason program" and has "arguably been the most consistent offensive performer in front of media during OTAs and minicamp so far," according to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. The third-year wideout is making routine plays and "getting open with relative ease." The 24-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross has played in only 22 games due to injuries in his first two years in the NFL, but when on the field, he's been a key contributor for quarterback Bryce Young, catching a total of 65 passes on 89 targets for 872 yards (13.4 yards per catch) and five touchdowns. Last year's first-rounder, Tetairoa McMillan, is the Panthers' clear WR1, but Coker is making a strong case to be the WR2, even with Xavier Legette still in town. The 6-foot-3, 213-pounder has the size, strength, leaping ability, and strong hands to excel all over the field. If he can stay on the field all year, Coker has true breakout potential, and he won't cost much on draft day. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 50 fantasy WR for 2026.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (ankle) said he's feeling good now and is hoping to be ready for the start of training camp at the end of July, according to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. McMillan was initially tagged with a foot injury and missed some of organized team activities as a precaution, but he took part in the first day of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday despite dealing with some ankle soreness this offseason. It doesn't sound like a very serious issue at all for the 23-year-old, who was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2025 after the Panthers took him eighth overall out of the University of Arizona. McMillan was held out of workouts on Wednesday, likely as a precaution. All signs are pointing to the young pass-catcher being a full-go for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season this fall. As Carolina's clear WR1 for QB Bryce Young, he'll be a popular WR2 target this year with upside for more if he takes the next step in Year 2. In his first 17 NFL starts a year ago, McMillan caught 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns on 122 targets to finish as a top-15 wideout in half-PPR scoring.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker has finished each of the past two seasons in memorable fashion. In 2024, it was a then-career-high seven-reception performance in Week 18, and in 2025, he closed out the regular season with another six grabs and a touchdown before turning in the best game of his career in a Wild Card loss to the Rams, finishing the day with 134 yards and a score on nine catches. For the second straight season, he has garnered sleeper buzz, and while a preseason quadriceps injury cost him the first six games of 2025, he appears to be in good health heading into his third season and is locked into one of the top two receiver spots alongside 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan. Including his breakout postseason performance, Coker scored 11.3 half-PPR points per game over his final eight contests, finishing as the WR24 or better five times, and yet, as a consensus dynasty WR5, there is still time to acquire the 24-year-old wideout well below his potential value.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (foot) is back doing drills at mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. The Panthers have been cautious with their WR1 while he deals with a foot issue, and he was recently held out of OTAs as a precaution. The fact that the second-year wideout is back for minicamp means that he'll most likely be a full-go for the start of training camp at the end of July. The 23-year-old eighth overall pick out of the University of Arizona last year was a huge success in his first year in the NFL, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after he caught 70 of his 122 targets for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns in 17 regular-season starts as quarterback Bryce Young's go-to target. McMillan finished as the WR13 in half-PPR scoring, which will make him a strong early-round target as a legitimate WR2 with upside for more in his sophomore season.

Expectations around Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks continue to rise, with NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe recently appearing on The Insiders Podcast and stating that if healthy, Brooks could handle lead back responsibilities over veteran Chuba Hubbard. Wolfe noted that the team allowed 2025's leading rusher, Rico Dowdle, to walk in free agency in part because they believe that their 2024 second-round pick is "ready to be the guy". Brooks missed all of the 2025 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee as a rookie, the second such injury to the same knee in just over a year. Coming off an RB15 finish in 2024 that resulted in a multi-year contract extension, Hubbard struggled through inconsistency and injuries of his own in 2025 and eventually ceded lead-back responsibilities to Dowdle, who ended the year with almost 1,400 all-purpose yards and seven total touchdowns. Brooks is RotoBaller's RB 40 in redraft leagues, but that ranking is certain to rise if he continues to pick up steam throughout minicamp and into training camp, and he could become one of 2026's better values for early drafters.

A second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) has yet to get his career off the ground. Brooks entered the NFL recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in college, and then re-tore the same ACL just three games after making his pro debut. The 22-year-old missed the entire 2025 season as a result of the injury, but he appears to be on track to be ready for the start of 2026. The Panthers let former running back Rico Dowdle walk in free agency without making any notable additions to their backfield, which could mean that the team has confidence in Brooks assuming the RB2 role behind veteran Chuba Hubbard. The Panthers offense featured two fantasy-relevant running backs in 2025, with Hubbard and Dowdle combining for over 2,100 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns. Brooks' injury history obviously brings clear risk, but he could be worth buying low on in dynasty formats ahead of 2026.