John Metchie III Fantasy Stats

Carolina Panthers wide receiver John Metchie III caught six of seven targets for 77 yards in Friday's 34-17 preseason loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Metchie showed a strong rapport with backup quarterback Kenny Pickett and led the Panthers in targets, catches, and receiving yards. Xavier Legette (ankle) had his ankle "rolled up on" during Wednesday's practice and did not play Friday, opening an opportunity for Metchie. Legette is also dealing with foot soreness and is day-to-day, according to Panthers head coach Dave Canales. Metchie made the most of Legette's absence with a strong showing. However, he did not get any work with the first-team offense and didn't log his first catch until the second half. Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker are the unquestioned starters and top wideouts for the Panthers. With third-round rookie Chris Brazzell (knee) out for the season, Metchie is battling Legette, Jimmy Horn Jr., and David Moore for Carolina's WR3 gig. If Metchie can win Carolina's WR3 role, he becomes a late-round flier in deep leagues and remains a dynasty stash for now.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver John Metchie III, who is with his fourth different NFL team in 2026 in a little more than 11 months, had a 19-yard rush and a 36-yard kick return in Thursday's Hall of Fame preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. With rookie wideout Chris Brazzell II (knee) already ruled out for the 2026 season, The Charlotte Observer's Mike Kaye suggests that Metchie has a real shot to compete for the WR3 role this year in Carolina behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker. The 26-year-old's primary competition will be Xavier Legette, a former first-rounder who has disappointed in his first two years in the NFL. If Metchie makes more noise in training camp and the preseason, he could have a role in the slot with the Panthers, although it wouldn't generate enough volume for the former second-rounder from Alabama to be much more than a bench stash in deeper redraft formats. In 16 games with the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans in 2025, Metchie had career highs with 33 catches, 274 yards, and two touchdowns on 48 targets.

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.

Entering 2026, Carolina Panthers wide receiver John Metchie III will be playing for his fourth team in four NFL seasons. The 25-year-old started 2025 with the Philadelphia Eagles, earning just four targets across seven games with the team. A midseason trade to the New York Jets allowed him more playing time, and he hauled in 29 catches for 256 yards and two scores on 44 targets across nine games with New York. With the Panthers, Metchie III's playing time is far from guaranteed. However, outside of 2025 first-round wideout Tetairoa McMillan, no Carolina wideout has ever recorded 50 receptions in a season. Metchie III should also have existing chemistry with Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, as the two of them played their college football together at the University of Alabama. In deeper dynasty formats, Metchie III could be a worthy buy-low dart throw for fantasy managers entering 2026.

Former New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III is signing an undisclosed one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Metchie will reunite with quarterback Bryce Young, with whom he played college ball at Alabama. The 25-year-old was originally a second-round pick (44th overall) by the Houston Texans in the 2022 NFL draft. Metchie had an unfortunate setback with a cancer diagnosis and missed the entire 2022 season, but he has slowly bounced back and posted a career-high 274 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 33 receptions in 16 games (seven starts) with the Jets and Philadelphia Eagles last year. Metchie will now head to the NFC South, where he'll serve in a depth role behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker. His previous connection with Young should help, but barring an injury ahead of him on Carolina's WR depth chart, it's hard to imagine Metchie having much weekly fantasy football appeal in 2026.

After being acquired by the New York Jets from the Philadelphia Eagles in late October, wide receiver John Metchie III looked like a potential breakout candidate. Across his first three games with New York, the 25-year-old recorded 10 receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 11 targets. However, Metchie III has been unable to maintain his hot start. Over his last five games played, Metchie III has failed to eclipse four catches or 41 receiving yards in a game, nor has he found the end zone. Metchie III's playing time has dropped off slightly as well, as he's played 77% or fewer of the Jets' offensive snaps in two out of the last three weeks. Especially with undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook in line to make his fourth straight start for the Jets in Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills, there's little reason to think Metchie III will reverse recent trends. He profiles as a wide receiver for fantasy managers to avoid in the final week of the 2025 regular season.

New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III is a dodgy fantasy option for Week 17's home outing with their division-rival New England Patriots. The Alabama product began his Jets' tenure, seemingly carving out a role as, at worst, a No. 2 option in the offense's pass attack. However, with the shift to quarterback Brady Cook, Metchie has taken a backseat to teammate Isaiah Williams in recent games. In Cook's two starts, Williams has picked up one more target (11), five more receptions (10), and has handily out-gained Metchie (78-29), all while playing fewer snaps (107-92). With the latter's production on the decline, fantasy managers can look elsewhere for PPR help, particularly against a stout New England pass defense. Metchie ranks as RotoBaller's WR59 in such formats for the season's penultimate week.

New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III has cooled in recent weeks, but holds low-end PPR appeal for Sunday's road matchup with the New Orleans Saints. Metchie kicked off his tenure with New York, corralling an excellent 91% of his targets through his first three appearances (10-of-11). However, in the three games since, the 25-year-old has posted a paltry 57% catch rate while racking up 78 yards total. In spite of the minimal production, he's remained heavily involved, ranking only behind teammate Adonai Mitchell in targets over that span (27-21). With Garrett Wilson (knee) ruled out for the remainder of the season, Metchie and Mitchell are poised to lead New York's WR corps, though they'll do so with rookie Brady Cook at the helm. Cook's performance through two weeks has undoubtedly left fantasy managers wanting, but there's been some good along with the bad. If he continues to develop, the aforementioned duo will be in a decent spot. For now, Metchie ranks as RotoBaller's PPR WR49 against the hosting Saints.

New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III has played a full-time role since being acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles at the trade deadline. Excluding the first game with the team, where he played only eight offensive snaps, Metchie has compiled 21 catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 31 targets while playing 87% of the snaps. The 25-year-old scored in back-to-back games in Weeks 11 and 12, but his production has cooled off since, totalling 78 yards on exactly four catches in each of the past three games. With undrafted rookie QB Brady Cook set to make his second consecutive start in Week 16 versus the New Orleans Saints, who have allowed under 200 yards passing in five straight games, Metchie doesn't offer much upside for the second round of the fantasy playoffs.

New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III is a high-risk fantasy option for his Week 15 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and potentially moving forward with the offense in flux. The former second-round pick of the 2022 NFL Draft has carved out a nice role with the team since he was acquired via trade with the Texans. Since Week 11, Metchie has led his positional cohorts in snaps and has picked up at least seven targets in three straight outings -- an excellent opportunity floor. However, he'll be a less stable asset this weekend with rookie Brady Cook calling signals for the Jets. Even if Cook's tenure as the starter lasts just one game, teammate Garrett Wilson's (knee) looming return would spell the end for Metchie's run as New York's WR1. For now, fantasy managers can rely on him as a low-end PPR alternative, but that output only figures to be sustainable while Wilson is still on IR.