7/13/26 - Carolina Panthers Fantasy Football Preview 2026 | Tetairoa McMillan & Jonathon Brooks Outlook

**Ryan Wheat** (0:01)
Welcome to No Putt and Tenda presented by Club Fantasy. It is time for another episode of our Look Inside series. This is a special series we do all summer long, where we break down each and every NFL team from a fantasy perspective. And it is time to turn our gaze to the Carolina Panthers. They just missed 500 last year, but they did look like a better football team under Dave Canales once again. Will they build on that momentum for 2026? Let's get into it.
Welcome to No Putt Intended. Again, another episode of our Look Inside series. Ryan Wheat's in the host seat, Josh Hudson with me. Josh, we've been doing our projections, you're chugging along, you're more than halfway done now, congratulations. It is time to look at the Panthers.
A team I was very excited about last year, but man, I just apparently like being disappointed.

**Josh Hudson** (1:14)
I think a lot of people do, honestly. I mean, I was definitely hitching some wagons to Xavier Legette coming in, and being like the second role to the Tetairoa McMillan train. But his drop off going into year three is unreal to me.

**Ryan Wheat** (1:36)
Yeah.

**Josh Hudson** (1:36)
Unreal. A rookie third round pick is getting drafted ahead of him right now. It's crazy.

**Ryan Wheat** (1:42)
We wanted him to be the new Chris Godwin, and he is certainly not that.

**Josh Hudson** (1:46)
We knew he wasn't very polished coming in, but good Lord.

**Ryan Wheat** (1:50)
When you look at these Panthers, as I mentioned, just missed 500, eight and nine last year. Dave Canales is back. Dave Canales is the play caller. Not a lot of changes there. Really not a lot of changes on this roster. They let some players go. They did bring in at least one rookie as Josh brought up. Bryce Young is the starting quarterback. I'm going to break down these ADPs for you. All of these ADPs are as of early July, and we go by underdog ADP because there's actual money being wagered on underdog right now. It's a little harder to find fantasy leagues with legitimate ADPs. Bryce Young, going off boards is the QB 26
Chuba Hubbard is the RB 1 He's going off as the RB 29 Jonathon Brooks, who you might remember from a few years ago, has been battling injuries, seems to be healthy. Now he's going off as the RB 36 Last year's rookie sensation, Tetairoa McMillan, wide receiver 19 in drafts. Jalen Coker, wide receiver 55
As Josh mentioned, the fall off is real. Xavier Legette, the wide receiver 114 in fantasy right now. Chris Brazel, the rookie they drafted out of Tennessee, wide receiver 91
Jon Meche, a favorite here at Club Fantasy, does not have an ADP. And Ja'Tavion Sanders is their tight end, though he is not relevant in fantasy right now. Going off boards is the tight end 41 Josh, we're going to talk about some specific players we like from the Panthers, but let's start by talking about this offense, how we project them heading into 2026

**Josh Hudson** (3:06)
Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest question when you're looking at this, because we're heading now into year three of Dave Canales as the Panthers head coach. Does he finally have the pieces in place that he wants to make this offense look like what he wants it to look like? Because we've talked about over the years when we've done these A Look Inside series with the Panthers and Dave Canales as a coordinator.
You know, his time in Seattle, he had DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, right? He had the top two guns at Wide Receiver, and those were the guys, plain and simple.

**Ryan Wheat** (3:42)
Yeah.

**Josh Hudson** (3:42)
Tampa Bay, he had Mike Evans, he had Chris Gottwin. You come here to Carolina, it doesn't have either of those.

**Ryan Wheat** (3:49)
Yeah.

**Josh Hudson** (3:50)
Right? They spend a first round pick to get Xavier Legette.
Most people, myself included, felt that it was a pretty big reach. It wasn't somebody that was very polished, but somebody that could play a big slot version. So maybe there's some hope there that he could be the Chris Gottwin in this offense.
Then they go out and they draft Tetairoa McMillan last year. Now they've got the Mike Evans in this offense. Well, lo and behold, Legette still hasn't developed. And now there's the swarm of cokeheads that are taking over fantasy football with their love for undrafted free agent Jalen Coker, who, by the way, just signed a nice little extension heading into this season.

**Ryan Wheat** (4:27)
Carolina loved him too.