Jonathon

Brooks

Earlier today, NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported that “there will be no limitations” for Brooks (knee). First-team usage seemingly affirms that. The team hopes Brooks forms a one-two punch with RB Chuba Hubbard before taking over as the starter at some point. Backup RB Trevor Etienne “also got his fair share of reps, and he worked with the starters as well in the running back rotation.” This is somewhat surprising, and worth keeping an eye on. Regarding Brooks’ showing, Kaye says he “looked quick as he bobbed and weaved with the ball in his hands.” He notably took “a mild hit,” but “showed no signs of struggle afterward.” Brooks looks like a high-upside, risk-reward type of pick right now.

Wolfe adds that the team hopes Brooks forms “a one-two punch” with RB Chuba Hubbard early in the year, before taking over as the starter in-season. Brooks becoming the next Mr. Unlimited in training camp is a little surprising because Wolfe said the team plans to use a committee early in the year, but obviously, training camp practices are less intense than live games. Per Wolfe, Panthers sources say Brooks has looked “incredible” thus far, albeit playing in pad-less spring practices. Brooks is currently available in Rounds 8-9 in best ball formats and makes for a high-upside pick, although he is, of course, not without risk.

Wolfe made the obvious caveat that Brooks needed to be healthy for this to have any chance of happening. Brooks entered the league recovering from a torn ACL he suffered during his final season at Texas. He then tore the same ACL in just his third career game, causing him to miss all of the 2025 season. When the Panthers selected Brooks with the No. 46 pick in 2024, he certainly had the potential to take over the backfield by the end of his rookie season. It remains to be seen how much of a toll the knee injuries have taken on Brooks’ abilities, but the drumbeat surrounding his return to football is growing louder by the day. Brooks will likely be one of the hottest backup running backs in fantasy circles by the time training camp rolls around.

If things go well for Brooks this summer, Kaye believes Brooks “will probably be used similarly to Rico Dowdle in the first two weeks of last season.” Dowdle played on 29.9 percent of the backfield snaps, totaling nine carries and four targets during that span. If Brooks “proves that he can stay durable and handle a consistent workload during the first month of the season,” the team could adjust the rotation after the Week 5 bye. Kaye opines that Brooks should not just be limited to passing downs and thinks it would “be fair to expect Brooks to even up his looks” with RB Chuba Hubbard eventually. Banking on a productive season from Brooks, 22, is not without risk, but his current ADP also looks like a decent buy-low opportunity.

We wouldn’t be surprised if Brooks’ reps were managed even once we get to training camp after his long layoff. Brooks probably figures to be brought along slowly this year when he does come back, making him more of a focus for Week 5 and thereafter in fantasy leagues.

The Panthers let Rico Dowdle walk in free agency and replaced him only with AJ Dillon in what could be interpreted as a sign of confidence that Brooks could play a real role behind Chuba Hubbard in 2026. Trevor Etienne is the other main player in Carolina’s backup RB derby. Brooks has lost most of his NFL career to date to a pair of ACL tears and while we’re hopeful he can come back, he should be approached skeptically for fantasy football purposes.

Brooks missed all of 2025 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL he suffered in 2024. It was the same ACL he also tore in 2023 during his final season at Texas, making for a long recovery for the former second-round pick. Assuming he can stay healthy, Brooks will have a chance to compete with Trevor Etienne and AJ Dillon for touches behind Chuba Hubbard, and could make for an interesting late-round stash in fantasy drafts if he were to win the backup job. The RB2 job behind Hubbard will be one to monitor throughout training camp until somebody separates themselves from the pack.

It’s part of the reason why the Panthers are willing to let Rico Dowdle leave in free agency. With Chuba Hubbard as the main back, Brooks would likely not be a major part of the offense even if he got to camp healthy after losing most of his NFL career to date to ACL tears. Still, he’s going to be just 23 this offseason, it’s hard to completely give up hope on him. He’ll battle Trevor Etienne for the main backup role if the Panthers don’t bring in anyone else.

Brooks missed the entire 2025 season after tearing his ACL for the second time in 2024. He’s still entering his age-23 season and the third year of his rookie contract, so we can’t rule out that he’ll see a real role with the Panthers in 2026. How the Panthers treat Rico Dowdle (or a replacement for Dowdle) in free agency will likely tell us a lot about how they view Brooks’ recovery, but Panthers GM Dan Morgan did praise how he was attacking his rehab and said he’s “looking great.”

What a brutal break for a once-promising player. Brooks, now just 21 years old, slipped to the 2024 NFL Draft’s second round due to his 2023 ACL tear. He then made his rookie season debut in Week 10, only to re-tear the ligament in Week 14. He will miss the entire 2025 season. The front office signed Chuba Hubbard to a four-year contract extension back in November, signed Rico Dowdle to a one-year deal in March and spent a fourth-round pick on former Georgia RB Trevor Etienne just two weeks ago. The Panthers sure don’t seem to be waiting on Brooks to return healthy in 2026, and neither should dynasty leaguers.