Who Should I Start? Xavier Legette or Matthew Golden

Thursday, June 11, 6:01 AM

When Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, he came into the league with one of the stranger collegiate careers in recent memory. Never topping 11 receptions, 113 yards, or one score in any of his first four seasons at South Carolina, he exploded for 72 catches, 1,255 yards, and seven touchdowns as a fifth-year senior. While almost everything about his profile screamed fool's gold, his physical makeup paired with the draft capital was enough for dynasty drafters to envision a sky-high ceiling and take a swing, with Legette climbing as high as WR38 in consensus dynasty rankings before ever taking an NFL snap. Through two seasons in the league, it can reasonably be said that the experiment has not worked out, with Legette totaling 84 catches for 860 yards and seven touchdowns to this point in his career. While he has shown sporadic flashes, he's yet to establish any usable fantasy consistency, having put together back-to-back top 40 finishes only once, with WR32 and WR25 results in Weeks 8 and 9 of his rookie season. With Jalen Coker and Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan seemingly locked into the top two-receiver spots in Carolina, Legette's opportunities will likely still be limited heading into year three, and he has fallen to WR118 in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings.