Tetairoa McMillan — Week 3: Five Targets, Seventeen Yards
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 28
McMillan caught 2 of 5 targets for 17 yards, the longest a 12-yard conversion on third and ten in the last two minutes of the half. Four of the five came before halftime, and none of Bryce Young's last 22 throws went his way while Darren Waller took seven of them, in a 21–18 loss to the Browns.
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10 to nothing, Browns, one 20 left in the second quarter, third and 10 at the Carolina 27. Bryce Young threw short left to Tetairoa McMillan, who got out of bounds at the 39 after 12 yards and a first down. +0.9 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and the only one of his targets that came out above zero. The drive reached the Cleveland four, and three more throws on it went his way: first and 10 at the Cleveland 46, incomplete; first and eight at the eight, incomplete, with a defensive holding flag on the Browns moving the ball to the four; and second and four at the four, incomplete. Young was sacked on third down and Carolina kicked a 35-yard field goal.
The line: five targets, two catches, 17 yards, one first down, 44 air yards, −1.8 expected points on the targets. The other catch was five yards on third and seven at the Carolina 39 in the first quarter, two short, and Carolina punted. Four targets came before halftime and one after: first and 10 at the Carolina 34 with six minutes left in the third, short right, incomplete. Young threw 22 more passes after that one, not counting a spike, and none of them was aimed at McMillan.
42 of Young's attempts named a receiver. Darren Waller had eight, seven of them in those last 22 throws; Brycen Tremayne had six and the game's most receiving yards, 83; McMillan and John Metchie had five each. Five targets is the fewest McMillan has seen this season, after eight in Week 1 and 10 in Week 2.
Back in June the preview called McMillan a year-two bet: fifteenth among wide receivers as a rookie across 17 games, the bet being a second-year leap that good rookie receivers do not usually make, with the question being whether his role rested on target volume or on touchdowns and efficiency. Week 1 was eight targets, five catches, 75 yards and a fumble the Bears recovered. Week 2 was 10 targets and a hundred one yards, the most by any receiver in that game. Sunday the volume half of the read slipped for the first time. Three games: 23 targets, still the most on the Panthers, 12 catches, a hundred 93 yards, no touchdowns. One quiet afternoon after two busy ones settles little. Carolina is home to the Lions on Sunday night the fourth.
_Data via nflverse._
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