The Carolina Panthers pushed the Los Angeles Rams to the brink of a Wild Card loss before Matthew Stafford threw a TD pass with less than a minute left in a 34-31 thriller in Carolina. The fact that the Panthers could push a serious contender like the Rams showed how far they've come, and that players like Tetairoa McMillan could be a force for fantasy football in 2026. Ian Hartitz and Dwain McFarland bring you everything you need to know about the Panthers for fantasy football with their 2026 fantasy football cheat sheet, highlighting their fantasy football rankings, projections and more.

Join Our Newsletter

Trusted by 400,000+ fantasy football players. Get access to Fantasy Life's free award winning newsletter and tools, all in one step.

Email Address

Subscribe

By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Carolina Panthers 2026 Team Cheat Sheet

• 2025 Record / Rank in PPG: 8-9 / 18.3 (23)
• 2026 Proj TDs per game: 2.1 (rank: 25)
• Head Coach: Dave Canales
• Offensive Playcaller: OC Brad Idzik
• Projected Plays Per Game: 58.5 (rank: 31)
• Projected Dropback Rate: 60.5% (rank: 15)
• Matthew Freedman’s Projected Win Total: 7.1
• Offensive Line Grades: C+
• Key Departures: Rico Dowdle
• Key Additions: Kenny Pickett, Chris Brazzell

Panthers Depth Chart and Fantasy Football Rankings For 2026

QB: Bryce Young (QB25)

RB: Chuba Hubbard (RB28) | Jonathon Brooks (RB46) 

WR: Tetairoa McMillan (WR16) | Jalen Coker (58) | Xavier Legette (WR123)

TE: Ja'Tavion Sanders (TE48)

Fantasy Football Overview for the 2026 Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young remains just 24 years young and has flashed during his three seasons as a starter—especially when throwing downfield—but at the end of the day, we're looking at someone who ranks among the position's bottom-10 QBs in pretty much any meaningful efficiency metric (including fantasy points per game) during the past two seasons.

Rico Dowdle's departure suddenly gives the (Roman) reins of this backfield back to Chuba Hubbard, who turned in an RB13 finish in PPR points per game all the way back in … 2024. Of course, this backfield could be more of a committee between Hubbard and 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks—if the 22-year-old talent is capable of finally staying healthy. Offseason updates have been encouraging. Chuba is also a candidate for improved health considering he dealt with a nagging calf injury throughout 2025. While the scoring upside in Carolina isn't massive, this quietly solid run-blocking offensive line helped Panthers RBs average the eighth-most yards *before* contact per carry last season.

Reigning OROY Tetairoa McMillan looked the part of a true No. 1 receiver throughout 2025. Of course, No. 2 option Jalen Coker spent the early parts of last season on the sideline, and the addition of Chris Brazzell in the draft makes it tough to assume T-Mac will see a massive spike in targets ahead of 2026. Similar ceiling concerns exist for Coker and Brazzell: Young's 2023 (2,877) and 2025 (3,011) campaigns produced the two lowest passing yards totals among 45 QBs to start at least 16 games in a season during the last three years.

The Panthers were more than content to rotate a trio of tight ends throughout 2024 and 2025. No Panthers tight end has finished better than the TE36 in PPR points per game during the last two seasons.

Utilization Notes for the 2026 Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan averaged 12.5 fantasy points as a rookie. However, his 72 Utilization Score suggests there was more in the tank. Historically, players in that range averaged 14.1 points. His underlying talent profile (26% target share) points to a WR who could leap into the top 12 in Year 2. But McMillan needs a little help from his friends. Over the past two seasons, Bryce Young averaged 193 passing yards in 27 games where he played over 80% of snaps. McMillan projects as a mid-range WR2 who needs Young to improve to unlock WR1 upside.

Premium

Go FantasyLife+

Your league is unique. Your advice should be too. Get personalized tools, rankings, and projections tailored to your fantasy football league settings.

Learn More