Where Should We Draft Tetairoa McMillan in Fantasy Football as a Rookie?

The Carolina Panthers are a team that is starving for playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, and they didn't waste any time bringing in a pass catcher during the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 overall pick. After McMillan flashed big-play ability as a freshman at Arizona with 39 receptions, 702 receiving yards, and 8 receiving touchdowns, he tallied 84-plus receptions, 1,319-plus receiving yards, and 8-plus receiving touchdowns in each of his final two years on the Wildcats.

Upon being the second wide receiver taken in this year's draft, there are expectations placed on McMillan to be an immediate contributor in Carolina's aerial attack. From a fantasy football perspective, should we have confidence in McMillan producing at a high level and providing value at his current ADP (average draft position)?

Let's take a look at what we should expect from McMillan in 2025 and discuss where we should be comfortable taking the first-year receiver for the Panthers in fantasy football drafts.

Note: All ADPs used in this article come from FantasyPros' Consensus ADP for half-PPR leagues.

Tetairoa McMillan's 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

To conclude his collegiate career at Arizona, McMillan posted the 9th-most receptions (84) and 17th-most yards per route run (2.87) among college wideouts with 50-plus targets in 2024, via PFF. This came just one season after McMillan produced 90 receptions and 2.79 yards per route run as a sophomore in 2023.

McMillan proved he can be a target-earner in college, and head coach Dave Canales likely loved the Arizona product's blend of size and strong hands due to previously working with Mike Evans and playing against Drake London twice a year. Having a go-to target for Bryce Young could certainly benefit the the third-year quarterback's development, especially after he ended the 2024 campaign on a high note.

Just a season ago, 34-year-old Adam Thielen led the Panthers in receiving with only 615 receiving yards and rookie Xavier Legette paced the team in targets (84). While Thielen showed that he can still play in the NFL with the 23rd-most yards per route run (2.06) among receivers with 50-plus targets last season, Carolina likely won't need to lean on him as much, Legette isn't a prototypical No. 1 option at receiver, Jalen Coker was an undrafted wideout, and it remains to be seen what we should expect from veteran Hunter Renfrow in his return to the league.

Taking that all into account, it's easy to forecast plenty of volume for McMillan immediately in an offense that should take a slight step forward in 2025. When comparing McMillan to the other rookie receivers, he seems like the safest option due to having a clear path to a large role and a lack of notable competition.

Where Should We Draft Tetairoa McMillan in 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts?

With fantasy football drafts taking place often right now, McMillan is currently holding an ADP of 64.0 (WR28) in half-PPR formats. At the moment, McMillan is going slightly ahead of fellow rookie wideout Travis Hunter (68.7 ADP), making him the first rookie receiver to come off boards in most drafts.

As I spoke about before in my favorite rookie wide receivers in fantasy football piece for the 2025 season, at least one first-year wideout has finished as the WR20 or better in half-PPR leagues since 2018. While it's no guarantee that a rookie from this year's draft keeps that streak alive, McMillan has the profile of a receiver that can make it eight consecutive years.

Like most rookie pass catchers, we should expect there to be an acclimation period for McMillan upon entering the NFL. However, McMillan's production in fantasy could be determined by whether or not we get the same version of Bryce Young we saw from Week 8 to Week 18 of last season where he finished as the overall QB12 and QB18 in fantasy points per game during that span.

Even though McMillan may not be the most exciting pick to some, I'd be comfortable taking him in the mid-to-late fifth round range (in 12-team leagues) while getting him in the sixth round or later could make him even more of a value in half-PPR formats.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.