Who Should I Start? Jalen Coker or Jordan Whittington

Friday, January 30, 12:43 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that wide receiver Jalen Coker will enter the offseason as the team's No. 2 wideout behind 2025 first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan, according to David Newton of ESPN. Newton also writes that the Panthers' top offseason priority is locking Coker down long term. He's an exclusive-rights free agent, so the team could tender him an offer for the league minimum to ensure that he's around in 2026 at a low cost. The 24-year-old came on strong late in 2025 and had nine catches for 134 yards and one touchdown in the Wild-Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. If the Panthers truly believe in Coker, they could look to lock him up long-term at a reasonable price. Injuries have limited Coker to 22 regular-season games in his first two years in the NFL, but when on the field, he's been productive, catching 65 passes for 872 yards and five touchdowns on 89 targets. If he can finally stay healthy in Year 3, Coker has true breakout potential.

Thursday, February 19, 4:54 PM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Jordan Whittington was more productive on offense in his rookie campaign in 2024 in two fewer games than he was in 17 regular-season contests in 2025. The 25-year-old former sixth-round pick out of the University of Texas caught just 18 passes for 171 yards and no touchdowns on 25 targets in his sophomore season in an explosive Rams offense. On special teams, he returned 17 kickoffs for 434 yards. Even though Cooper Kupp left, the addition of Davante Adams in L.A. left very few targets for Whittington and Tutu Atwell. Whittington has a total of 40 catches on 53 targets for 464 yards and no touchdowns in his first 32 NFL games (nine starts), and nothing points to him having a drastically bigger role going into the 2026 season, barring significant injuries to either Adams or Puka Nacua. In dynasty leagues, Whittington is a cut candidate.