Who Should I Start? DJ Moore or Tetairoa McMillan

Monday, August 25, 5:19 PM

With the Chicago Bears' running back room currently decimated by injuries, wide receiver DJ Moore was seen taking reps at RB during combination drills with the QBs at practice on Monday, according to Bears reporter Herb Howard. It's not the first time that Moore has taken handoffs out of the backfield in training camp this summer as a wrinkle in new head coach Ben Johnson's offensive playbook. The only RBs that dressed for practice were D'Andre Swift and Brittain Brown. The Bears seem to be trying to manufacture touches for the 28-year-old wideout in Johnson's offense, but fantasy managers realistically probably shouldn't expect him to see more than a handful of carries, at best, on a weekly basis. The former first-rounder had a career-high 98 catches for 966 yards and six scores in 17 starts with Caleb Williams in his rookie season. Chicago's offense could be much better this year, but Rome Odunze is a threat to steal valuable targets. Treat Moore as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3.

Tuesday, August 26, 6:11 PM

Carolina Panthers rookie first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (hamstring) returned to practice on Tuesday after missing some time last week with a minor hamstring issue, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. It's great news for the 22-year-old pass-catcher out of Arizona, as he should be just fine to begin his first year in the NFL with a Week 1 meeting against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 7. McMillan appeared to be the real deal during training camp this summer and already seems to have a pretty good connection with quarterback Bryce Young. The eighth overall pick could easily lead the Panthers receivers in catches, targets and yardage in his first season in the league, especially if Carolina trades veteran Adam Thielen. If Young continues to improve after a strong second half in 2024, McMillan absolutely could function as a strong WR2 in fantasy.