Tetairoa McMillan
McMillan enters year two as Carolina's clear No. 1 receiver and target hog, with a new wrinkle — more slot alignment — that analysts see as a possible ceiling-raiser rather than a role overhaul.
Role
McMillan started all 17 games as a rookie on a 25%+ target share (122 targets, 70 catches, 1,014 yards, 7 TDs) working almost entirely as a boundary/outside receiver. Canales has signaled he'll move McMillan into the slot more often in 2026, which should diversify his route tree and alignment rather than replace his outside role outright; he remains Bryce Young's clear top target with no real competition for the WR1 job in this passing game.
McMillan already hit 1,000 yards as a rookie with mediocre quarterback play, and adding more slot snaps could get him away from top boundary corners, unlock easier matchups, and push him from a low-end WR2 toward a top-10 fantasy receiver.
Canales' offense was among the league's most run-heavy and pass-averse even in negative game scripts last year, and skeptics argue that a slot tweak doesn't fix the underlying volume problem — McMillan was only targeted on about 23% of his routes, and the passing environment itself, not alignment, is the real ceiling on his production.
Where analysts split
Whether the added slot usage meaningfully raises McMillan's target volume and big-play upside, or whether Carolina's low-pass-rate, run-first offensive philosophy under Canales caps him regardless of where he lines up.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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