Chris Brazzell Fantasy Football Outlook With The Carolina Panthers

Chris Brazzell is a home run-hitting receiver, and the Carolina Panthers hope they hit just that with their selection of the former Tennessee Volunteer. He should become Carolina’s WR3 in no time, giving Bryce Young one more vertical playmaker on the outside.

Chris Brazzell Fantasy Football Outlook With The Carolina Panthers

Brazzell is a high-upside player, but I have to say, this isn’t exactly my favorite landing spot for him to realize that upside. For starters, Carolina already has their alpha in Tetairoa McMillan, who led the way with a 26% target share as a rookie. But perhaps more importantly, when Bryce Young dialed up the deep ball, he was looking for McMillan, who accounted for 50% of Carolina’s air yards, the highest rate among all wide receivers with at least 70 targets.

The good news? Assuming Brazzell can beat out Xavier Legette for WR3 duties, he should play quite a bit. Last season, the Panthers ran 11 personnel (three receiver sets) 66% of the time, tied for the sixth-highest rate in football. Jalen Coker should handle the slot role, with Brazzell lining up opposite McMillan on the outside. But what will the volume look like? Once Coker was healthy last year, he really made some noise. And following the team’s Week 15 bye (including the playoffs), Coker posted a healthy 22% target share.

An uptick in passing from Dave Canales would certainly benefit Brazzell. The Panthers ranked 25th in dropback rate over expected and 23rd in overall pass rate (59%). Perhaps this move is the start of that shift.

Should You Plan To Draft Chris Brazzell This Year?

With the last selection in your redraft leagues, I have no problem chasing Brazzell’s ceiling. Just don’t be upset if you end up releasing him a few weeks into the season. There are other rookie wideouts with a clearer path to fantasy-friendly volume, plus we also don’t have the greatest track record of successful wide receivers to come out of Tennessee.

2026 Scouting Report For Chris Brazzell

Teams are always looking for size and speed at the receiver position, and Brazzell checks both boxes. At 6-foot-4 with blazing 4.37 speed, Brazzell can immediately produce explosive plays in the passing game. According to Sumer Sports, go routes made up just over 22% of his tree this past season, while 26% of his career collegiate targets came 20-plus yards down the field.

Brazzell’s final season was his best (62-1,017-9), largely due to his improvements in the one area of playing wide receiver that is most important: catching the football. After dropping 10 passes in 2023 and 2024, Brazzell let just two passes hit the ground this past season. However, despite the frame and hand size, Brazzell left much to be desired in the contested catch department.

Projecting wideouts from Tennessee is always tricky. Josh Heupel’s spread-out scheme doesn't really translate to the NFL, especially for perimeter receivers who aren’t accustomed to seeing press coverage. But Brazzell has plenty of tools and raw upside.

For a more in-depth breakdown of Brazzell’s game, check out his Rookie Super Model prospect profile.

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Chris Brazzell Fantasy Football Outlook With The Carolina Panthers