☕️Bi-Weekly Brew: Carolina Panthers Edition

By The Dynasty Cafe · July 20, 2026 · Play For Keeps Articles

Today, we continue our journey through the NFC South, and head to Carolina. The Panthers had a pretty ok season in the inaugural year under Dave Canales, winning the division and pushing the Rams to the brink in the playoffs.  Can Carolina continue to ascend and provide managers some fantasy fun?  They're not the flashiest team, but that doesn't mean you should ignore them. Let’s take a look at some of the best trade targets from the Panthers. 

☕️Bi-Weekly Brew Themes☕️

For those that are new: welcome in!  Here’s what you’ll find in each edition of the ☕️Bi-Weekly Brew:

In each brew, we will assume super flex is in play, with full point PPR and .5 TEP. 

For each team, we’ll be identifying:

☕️Our House Blend: the perfect player for any build

☕️The Espresso Shot: a player to provide that high upside boost to your rebuilding team

☕️The Dark Roast: ole reliable, a player that can push a contender to its peak

☕️House Blend: Tetairoa McMillan☕️

Tet was the 8th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he flashed his potential as a rookie, finishing with 70 catches, 1040 yards and 7 trips to the end zone.  He had an up and down season for fantasy, finishing with only four finishes inside the Top 15.  Despite that, he still managed to finish as a WR2 for fantasy purposes, coming in at the WR16 overall.  He was a decent floor play for teams, having eleven finishes with 10+ points.  

With a year of experience working with Dave Canales and Bryce Young, can we see a year two surge from Tet?  No real target threat was brought in, so he should continue to get the bulk of the target share.  Last season, Tet had nine games with 8+ targets.  Going off volume alone, a WR1 finish isn’t out of the question.  His upside, along with his age (23), make him a great fit for any dynasty team, especially rebuilding teams.  While he may not carry teams to titles, he can be a consistent floor play with upside for contenders. He could see a real value spike if he and Bryce Young can click this year, so be sure to strike before the season starts.

Photo Credit: Bob Donnan/Imagn Images

Let's see what the Sharps in the Play For Keeps database are trading to acquire Tet:

Rookies are always fun, but as a CONTENDER, I want some clairvoyance when it comes to my players.  Cooper and Lemon both project to be the second option in their teams passing games, at best.  However, what level of volume this brings remains to be seen.  If you've followed me for any amount of time on X, you know I LOVE Lemon.  He was my WR1 of this class even before he fell to the Eagles.  However, how much production can we expect from him in his rookie year?  Will he ever pass Devonta Smith as the alpha in the offense?  These are all questions that I don't want to wait on answers for if I'm contending.  What I do know is this: Tet is the WR1 in Carolina, and it isn't close (sorry Coker fans).  The confidence of knowing that my players will see volume in any given week is what I'm looking for if I'm making a title push.  This one's tough for me to say, but give me the known commodity over the question marks, even if they are shiny question marks.

The thought behind this trade for a rebuilder is simple:  you get to reset your WR room and add another potential starter in the deep 2027 class.  You're getting two pieces to push your rebuild along for the price of one.  Tet has QB questions, but we at least know he's the go to guy in Carolina.  It's unlikely Carolina uses a high draft pick anytime soon on a WR given the holes they have in other areas.  Regardless of QB, rebuilders can rest easy knowing Tet will be a target hog for the next few seasons.  It hurts to get rid of Jefferson, but this is a great move for a rebuilder.  Trade your aging superstars like JJ or Lamb to bring in your teams future WR1, along with an asset that is guaranteed to increase in value in the 2027 1st.  For contenders: keep your Jefferson shares.

☕️Espresso Shot: Jonathon Brooks☕️

Brooks was a 2nd round pick in 2024, but hasn’t been able to flash his talents due to injuries.  These injuries have suppressed his value, and he’s a risky asset to acquire.  The polarization within the dynasty community makes him an intriguing add for rebuilders.  If he’s able to stay on the field and produce, he’ll recover most or all of the value he lost throughout his first two years, and can become an easy flip for rebuilders.  He’ll be 23 when the season starts, so Brooks truthers can also hold onto him as a potential core piece of their rebuild.  There's not many stats to discuss here given his injury plagued career.  However, these are the types of plays that can really accelerate a rebuild if they pan out.

Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Let's see what the Sharp Tracker recommends as a possible trade proposal for Brooks:

The 2026 class wasn't very deep, which has made late round picks even more difficult to make than in other years.  Round Two felt closer to picking in Round Three of other years.  Brooks was going in Round One of 2024 rookie drafts, so you're still getting a discount here, though not as large as I'd like.  On paper, a second round pick still feels a bit pricey given his injury history, but Ithere's a pathway for big returns.  With the cult following in dynasty circles that has seemingly built up in support of Brooks, his value can sky rocket if he gets a chance this season.  I would be acquiring him with the intent of flipping him later in the year, perhaps to the owner of the next player we are about to talk about! 

☕️The Dark Roast: Chuba Hubbard☕️

This may seem like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth by telling owners to acquire both Panthers RBs.  However, both can fit a need for dynasty teams.  It is just dependent on where your team finds itself in its life cycle.  Player values change for teams based on whether they're rebuilding or contending, which is why I don't put much stock into player rankings.  For contenders, Chuba can have some value.  For rebuilders, he's a nothingburger.  Naming both RBs in this article isn't my way of covering all my bases to make sure I'm "right".  They both just happen to fit a spot for teams.

Chuba definitely didn’t do managers any favors last season.  After an RB14 finish in 2024, he followed it up with an RB38 finish in 2025.  Part of this was due to injuries.  The more concerning part was his inability to take back the RB1 role from Rico Dowdle.  Luckily, Rico is in Pittsburgh, so Chuba should get the first crack as RB1 in Carolina.  His rough 2025 season and community intrigue in Johnathon Brooks  has created an extreme buy low window for contenders who want to reinforce their backfield.  For owners that want to take a low cost flyer on a veteran RB, they can add Chuba.  At his best, he is a great depth piece who can have RB2 upside each week.  He's further removed from his injury, so we should get a better looking Hubbard to start the year.  If he can return to his 2024 form, he could potentially be that league winning piece a contender needs.

Photo Credit: Donald Watkins/The Charlotte Post

Let's discuss a potential trade recipe for Chuba, courtesy of Sharp Tracker:

Through my research on Sharp Tracker, my findings confirmed a suspicion I had: it may actually be easier to acquire Chuba than it is to acquire Brooks.  Brooks is the shiny new toy; no one wants to play with old and dusty Chuba anymore.  These extreme buy lows on vets can pay huge dividends to contenders.  RB depth is always valuable.  At worst, if Chuba flops again, you just lose a future 3rd.  That pick isn't helping you win this year and likely won't turn into a player who will help you in the future anyways.  At best, you have your weekly RB2 or flex play.  Even if you have some better backs, Chuba should still be able to slot in this year as a bye week fill in or injury replacement.  The Panthers didn't give him a bag of cash to not use him.  Chuba will get some run; we just need him to take advantage early to fend off Brooks.  If contenders want to cover their bases and reduce risk, go get Brooks as a safety net in case Chuba doesn't return to his 2024 form.

☕️Note to Readers☕️

Be sure to explore the Sharp Tracker for more trade ideas like those above.  That is a great tool for gauging what some of the best players are doing to buy or sell players.  Also, be sure to check out the Dynasty Rankings tab!  There you can upload your favorite experts rankings or create your own, and upload them to your Sleeper queue for upcoming drafts! 

I hope you enjoyed the content you consumed here today, and I look forward to seeing you for the next edition of the ☕️Bi-Weekly Brew! 

Remember to follow @TheDynastyCafe on X for additional content and updates!

Good luck and happy trading!

Cover Photo Credit: Brynn Anderson/AP Photo

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