Xavier Legette was selected as the Carolina Panthers’ most likely breakout candidate in 2025 by The Athletic.
Legette, a first-round pick in 2024, had 497 yards and four touchdowns across 16 games in his rookie campaign. He was among the league leaders with eight drops. There were bright sparks last season, however, and the arrival of Tetairoa McMillan should take some of the pressure off the second-year wideout.
Bryce Young made major improvements last season. McMillan should take some defensive attention away from Legette. There are reasons to believe he can be a major contributor in 2024, even if his rookie woes were somewhat predictable.
Joseph Person wrote, “Maybe we should have seen Legette’s rookie struggles coming. After all, despite looking the part with a big, chiseled frame, Legette wasn’t a full-time starter until his fifth season at South Carolina.”
Legette was on the field for 70% of offensive snaps in 2024. Dionate Johnson and Adam Thielen had more targets per game, though Legette led the Panthers in total targets with 22 more than Thielen. McMillan is expected to be Young’s primary target in 2025, but Legette looks set to be an impactful WR2 who should be on the field for more snaps than he was last season.
Sixty-seven wide receivers amassed more fantasy points than the former South Carolina receiver. Of wide receivers to start 11 or more games, only three had a higher drop rate. There were plenty of negatives in his rookie campaign, but Carolina drafted him as a raw talent with the expectation he would improve with experience.
Fantasy Outlook
Per Fantasy Pros’ ADP, Legette is WR65, one spot behind Thielen. He is getting drafted behind Hollywood Brown, Jack Bech, and Cedric Tillman. Fantasy managers clearly aren’t confident in Legette being an above-average starter in the coming season, even after Young’s stark improvement across the board as a sophomore.
There is a chance Legette is a first-round bust who never provides significant fantasy value. He wouldn’t be the first player with elite physical tools to fail to put it together in the pros, and the drop rate is concerning from a fantasy perspective.
There have also been plenty of young receivers who need a period to adapt to the NFL, especially if their rookie season featured changes at quarterback and a brutal 1-7 start to the campaign.
Legette shouldn’t be drafted any higher than WR35, but he’s an intriguing sleeper pick in deeper leagues. If you’re high on the Panthers, there’s a world where he’s one of the better second options in the NFL. There’s also a risk he’s marginalized following McMillan’s arrival, and he doesn’t rank in the top 70 receivers.
