2025 Carolina Panthers Fantasy Preview
After bottoming out in 2023, Carolina made some strides in Dave Canales’s first season. The offense improved from 32nd (265.3 yards per game) to 29th (298.0). However, the defense fell to last in 2024, and was a big focus for GM Dan Morgan in free agency and the draft. Tershawn Wharton, Tre’von Moehrig, Bobby Brown, and Pat Jones were all veteran additions, along with edge rushers Nick Scourton and Princely Umanmielen via Day Two draft selections. The club’s long rebuild made strides in Year One. Now, the young Panthers are looking to approach respectability.
“All faces, all the voices blur. Change to one face, change to one voice. Prepare yourself for bed, the light seems bright and glares on white walls. All the sounds of Charlotte, sometimes.”
After a rough start, Bryce Young was benched. Instead of pouting, he took it as an opportunity to learn from Andy Dalton. It worked. Young returned to the lineup in Week 8 and looked like a completely different player, especially in his deep-ball accuracy. In his final 10 starts, Young tossed 15 touchdowns compared to only six interceptions. This included three QB1 weeks in his final six outings. With an improved roster, Young has salvaged his dynasty appeal. There is hope the momentum will carry over into 2025, but Young is a lesser QB2 with some streaming potential in redraft.
Chuba Hubbard (1,195 yards, 5.0 YPC) leads after a breakout 2024, with 41.8% of carries gaining 5+ yards. Hubbard received a four-year extension, cementing him as the club’s starter. He ranked 3rd with a 77.3 percent snap share and 7th in expected fantasy points per game. Hubbard is shaping up to be a solid mid-round target for #ZERORB drafters. Rico Dowdle (1,328 all-purpose yards) and fourth-rounder Trevor Etienne complement, with Etienne’s 6.2 yards after contact and return ability (9.8 yards/punt return) projecting him as a change-of-pace back. Dowdle’s 43% success rate bolsters depth, especially with Jonathon Brooks out (ACL).
First-round pick Tetairoa McMillan (No. 8, Arizona) joins Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette in an improving wide receiver corps. McMillan’s 3.1 yards per route run and 12.8 yards per catch make him a good fit with Young’s downfield ability. Thielen, 34, adds reliability (4.8 catches/game), while Legette’s 14.1 yards per catch shifts to WR2. Jalen Coker, Hunter Renfrow, and sixth-rounder Jimmy Horn Jr. deepen a group with 2.6 yards per route run (12th in NFL).
Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders will form a committee for Canales. Tremble was in on 68.4 percent of Carolina’s snaps last season and tops the depth chart. However, no Carolinas tight ends eclipsed Tremble’s 32 targets in 2024, so there is not a ton of fantasy appeal.
Fantasy Grade: D
Sitting behind Andy Dalton proved to be a valuable break for Bryce Young and a good tactic for head coach Dave Canales. Young handled the benching like a pro and looked like a brand-new quarterback by the time he reclaimed the starting job in Week 8. From that point on, Young began pushing the ball downfield and totaled 20 touchdowns. Additionally, the Panthers added the draft’s top wideout in Tetairoa McMilliam, giving Young a solid young nucleus. The hope here is that Young’s momentum carries over. If that happens, he will be a solid QB2 who will produce multiple top-10 weeks.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers’ lead RB, is a high-end RB2 for 2025 after a breakout 2024. He amassed 1,195 rushing yards, 10 TDs, and 43 receptions for 171 yards (RB12 in half-PPR, 14.9 PPG). Hubbard averaged 4.8 YPC and boasted an average of 2.1 yards after contact (top-10) on a 77.3 percent snap share. Hubbard’s four-year, $33.2M extension cements his role, despite Rico Dowdle’s backup presence. Fourth-round rookie Trevor Etienne will also be in the mix for touches. Hubbard’s volume-driven output and improved offensive line make him a solid target on an offense trending up.
ADVICE: Dowdle was a feel-good story from last year, but his move to Carolina, where he’s behind newly extended Chuba Hubbard, is a significant downgrade to his fantasy value.
WR McMillan, Tetairoa, CAR [WR1]
The Carolina Panthers landed the 2025 NFL Draft’s top wideout, former Arizona star Tetairoa McMillian. Standing at 6-4 and weighing 220 pounds, with a 4.50 40-yard dash time, McMillan’s size and speed make him a formidable red-zone target for quarterback Bryce Young. Projected as a WR3 in his rookie season, he bolsters a passing game that, in 2024, saw 210 receptions for 2,453 yards and 18 touchdowns on 339 targets. McMillan’s big-play potential elevates Carolina’s offense, promising a dynamic aerial attack that will improve from its 30th ranking of last season.
Despite Carolina ranking 30th in passing last year, Xavier Legette had a decent rookie season. The former Gamecock became the Panthers’ deep threat, ranking 29th with a 12.3 ADOT and 21st with 19 deep-ball targets. Drops (5) were an issue, but Legette’s 2025 value was rising. That is, until the club selected Tetairoa McMillian with the 8th pick in the NFL Draft. That will take some of the targets away, and for Legette to blossom into a decent fantasy option, he must be utilized closer to the line of scrimmage. Not sure that’s going to happen this season.
Thielen remains a reliable slot receiver for the Panthers despite a 2024 hamstring injury limiting him to 10 games (48 receptions, 615 yards, 5 TDs). His 77.4 percent catch rate and chemistry with Bryce Young ensure a PPR floor, but competition from Xavier Legette and rookie Tetairoa McMillan, plus a run-heavy scheme under Dave Canales, caps his ceiling. 35 in August, Thielen’s best days are behind him. But he can still provide usable fantasy production in an end-of-roster type of role.
ADVICE: Last year, Coker made an improbable debut, emerging undrafted from Holy Cross and averaging 8.4 fantasy points in his 11 games. However, first-rounder Tetairoa McMillian will drop Coker to WR4 duties. It’s difficult for the fourth wideout on a team that finished 29th in offense to be relevant in fantasy.
ADVICE: Carolina will use multiple tight ends, but Tremble heads into training camp listed atop the depth chart. Tremble has absorbed 32 targets in each of his past three seasons, so the ceiling is rather limited.
Eddy Piñeiro and Matthew Wright will battle for Carolina’s place-kicking duties. This is a below-average offense with little fantasy appeal. Whoever wins the job won’t have a long leash and offers little fantasy appeal.
There is no upside in Carolina’s defense. They were tied for 29th in the league in sacks (32) and only created 17 turnovers. Additionally, Carolina’s subpar offense will cause the defense to see far more snaps than they should. Pass.
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