It’s rare that you see a player who is rostered in 50% of fantasy football leagues. Usually, a guy is either popular, or he’s dismissed as irrelevant.
Jalen Coker of the Carolina Panthers entered Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season with a 50.7 roster percentage on ESPN. It’s going to be a lot higher after the first set of waiver wire pickups of the season, of which Coker will be a top target.
That’s because in Week 1, Coker caught eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers put up 37 points (albeit against a Chicago Bears team that dropped 59), showing their offensive potential for the season ahead.
And with a matchup with a relatively unintimidating Atlanta Falcons defense arriving in Week 2, the Panthers could score a lot of points again.
In half of the leagues out there, someone probably had Coker on their bench and will have to determine whether to start him going forward.
But in the other half, Coker is out there. Is he worth a top waiver claim? It’s a fair question.
Fantasy Waiver Pickup: Jalen Coker
Coker is worth a pickup if you need any help at wide receiver.
He’s not going to have eight catches or 138 yards or two scores every single week, but he’s also a clear top-two target in this offseason.
Tetairoa McMillan is the more highly regarded player, but when Bryce Young drops back to pass, he’s going to throw to either McMillan or Coker on the majority of his passes. There just aren’t a ton of other great options here.
Coker is good enough to make that situation work out well for him. He’s already been an effective player in past seasons, and he seems to be coming into his own.
Maybe the most exciting part of Coker’s game on Sunday was the 51-yard TD, and not just because of the quick burst of production. It’s because the Panthers simply had him run a go route down the left sideline, and he ran right by the defense for a precise pass from Young to lead him to the end zone.
Coker is 6-foot-3 and athletic, but he’s often been thought of as a guy for shorter receptions early in his career.
If the Panthers have expanded his route tree and are allowing him to simply sprint past people for long passes, Coker could put up quite the numbers this season.
What About Bryce Young?
Young is also worth having on a roster in your fantasy league if he isn’t already.
He threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns, and if the Panthers’ defense is going to keep giving up a ton of points, Young is going to have to keep throwing a lot. He also ran for a touchdown, an encouraging sign for his overall production.
There’s a chance that this is the season that Young breaks out and shows why he was the 2023 No. 1 overall pick. It’s worth having him on your fantasy team to find out.
Top Fantasy Football Waiver Pickups: Jalen Coker Outlook Grows for Panthers