Who Should I Start? Matthew Golden or Tetairoa McMillan

Friday, December 19, 9:44 AM

Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver out of Texas, and first-round pick in 2025, Matthew Golden, earned four targets and caught three of them for 55 yards in Week 15's loss to the Denver Broncos. The four targets were the most that Golden has seen since Week 7, and with the injury to Christian Watson (chest, shoulder), Golden was thrust into duties and played more snaps than he has since the return of Watson's ACL injury and the return of Jayden Reed from the Injured Reserve. Although Golden's fantasy value is on the rise due to the injury situation, he is still hard to trust in any format this week against the Chicago Bears. On the season, he has 27 receptions for 341 yards and no touchdowns, for a total of 52 fantasy points in 11 games played.

Monday, December 29, 11:15 AM

Tetairoa McMillan had the worst game of the season in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks. The rookie WR was targeted four times but only caught one pass for five yards. Although he reportedly worked past an illness to play, he finished with 1.5 PPR points, marking the second time in the last three weeks he totaled less than 5.0 PPR points. In Week 18, the Panthers will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their NFC South rival, for the division title. The Buccaneers ranked sixth in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to WRs over the last four weeks leading up to Week 17. In Week 16 against Tampa Bay, McMillan had six receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. He totaled 19.3 PPR points in one of his best games of the year. Despite the seemingly unfavorable matchup, McMillan may bounce back against a Tampa Bay team he performed well against previously. Fantasy leaguers who are playing in Week 18 can consider starting McMillan as a WR3 or flex option in a winner-take-all game for Carolina.