Jonathon Brooks Fantasy Stats

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (soreness) continues to deal with general soreness, and after he was seen working with trainers during the media accessible portion of Monday's practice, head coach Dave Canales declined to offer an update on his status. Canales told reporters on Thursday that he was "very optimistic" about Brooks' availability for Week 1, and when asked on Monday if that remained the case, he said he "hopes so." The Panthers host the Bears to open the 2026 season, and with the first official injury report to be released on Wednesday, Brooks' status will need to be monitored, as he has become a popular breakout candidate in what had looked to be the first fully healthy season of his professional career.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks is still dealing with general soreness and worked off to the side with a trainer during Monday's practice, according to Mike Kaye. Brooks was also held out of Carolina's Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 practices before the team took a few days off. Head coach Dave Canales said last week that he was "very optimistic" Brooks would be available for Week 1, but the third-year back has yet to get back into regular team work. Brooks missed all of 2025 following his second right ACL tear before returning this summer and appearing in two preseason games. Carolina doesn't open against Chicago until Sept. 13, so there is still time. For now, Brooks' practice participation over the next few days will be worth watching.

A second-round pick in 2024, Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (undisclosed) has been limited by knee injuries to just three career games and nine career carries through his first two NFL seasons. The 23-year-old has also been working through an undisclosed injury that has prevented him from practicing in recent days, which is obviously a concern given his track record. However, Panthers coach Dave Canales recently said that the team is very optimistic that Brooks will be able to play in Week 1. Reporting throughout the summer also indicated that Brooks was impressive in training camp and that the team could be planning on him playing a significant role in their offense. While veteran running back Chuba Hubbard will likely open the year as Carolina's RB1, Brooks could be the higher-upside option of the two. As a mid-to-late round pick in most drafts, Brooks profiles as a high-risk, high-reward selection for fantasy managers.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (undisclosed) spent Wednesday's practice working with trainers on a side field for the second day in a row, but head coach Dave Canales told reporters he was "very optimistic" about Brooks' availability for Week 1 against the Bears. A second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Brooks has appeared in only three career games, re-tearing the right ACL that ended his collegiate career after handling only 12 touches as a rookie. While Canales' update offers reassurance about his availability, questions about his role still make Brooks a difficult fantasy start to begin the year, as conflicting reports out of training camp have painted a muddied picture of how he might split work with veteran Chuba Hubbard in 2026. The talent that made Brooks the first running back off the board in 2024 is still apparent, and with the higher-upside case among Carolina's backs, he is well worth taking a shot on later in drafts as RotoBaller's RB33.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (undisclosed) is working off to the side with a trainer for the second straight day in practice on Wednesday, according to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. Head coach Dave Canales said that Brooks had some "soreness" on Tuesday, but he would not specify where. Brooks has been gaining steam as the potential lead back in Carolina in 2026 over Chuba Hubbard, who had a disappointing 2025 campaign after a 1,000-yard season for the Panthers in 2024. The 23-year-old Brooks, a second-rounder out of Texas in 2024, has already torn his ACL twice since entering the NFL and has played in just three games for the Panthers in his rookie season. Despite durability concerns, Brooks has explosive upside out of the backfield if he is healthy and could push Hubbard for lead-back duties this year. Right now, Brooks' undisclosed injury does not seem serious enough to keep him out in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, but we should have a better idea of his status next week. RotoBaller has Brooks and Hubbard ranked at No. 33 and No. 34, respectively.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks is trending up once again. After knee injuries limited him to just five games through his first two seasons, he's now fully healthy and ready to occupy a big role on offense. There may be a little re-acclimation period as he gets used to his first NFL action since 2024, but there's also a glaring opportunity for him to step into a 1B role alongside Chuba Hubbard. Furthermore, we can't rule out the possibility of him completely taking over the backfield and leaving Hubbard in a backup role. This wouldn't be new territory for Hubbard, who sort of lost his job to Rico Dowdle last year. Brooks is incredibly talented, and if he can stay healthy, he could return to the high-end RB2 upside that he possessed prior to his rookie season. This is a low-risk move for managers, as Brooks still has a relatively modest ADP of 83.6.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks had another encouraging moment during Wednesday's joint practice with Houston. According to Kyle Bailey, Brooks showed patience on a red-zone carry, waited for a lane to open, cut back and picked up roughly 10 to 12 yards. That kind of run stands out a little more with Brooks, who is coming back from two tears of the same right ACL. The second one cost him the entire 2025 season. Brooks has only 12 regular-season touches in the NFL, but he has looked comfortable cutting and accelerating this summer, worked with the first-team offense, and scored a 1-yard touchdown against Jacksonville last Friday. Chuba Hubbard has been working back from a hamstring injury, and Dave Canales has said Carolina plans to keep rotating its backs once Hubbard returns. Brooks isn't suddenly taking over the backfield, but he's giving the Panthers more reasons to trust him in a meaningful role.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks rushed for 18 yards on five attempts during Friday's 34-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. His longest run on the day was for 11 yards, and he punched it in from the one-yard line for his first touchdown in the NFL. With Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) out, Brooks played nearly every snap with the first-team offense on Friday. The 23-year-old has been running with the starters in Carolina's first two preseason games and has been healthy after being limited to just three games in his first two NFL seasons. Hubbard remains week-to-week, but Panthers head coach David Canales believes Hubbard will be available for the regular season opener against the Bears. Brooks currently has a Yahoo Fantasy ADP of 74, which could continue to rise after a strong preseason showing.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks started in Saturday's 29-14 preseason loss against the Buffalo Bills and struggled to find any running room. Brooks rushed for five yards on three attempts while catching one pass for nine yards on Saturday. He logged seven of nine snaps with the first-team offense and was targeted once on three routes run. The 23-year-old had trouble finding running room as the offensive line struggled to open any lanes for him, as he averaged a measly 1.7 yards per carry. While the Panthers offense looked sluggish on Saturday, the good news is that Brooks looked healthy, as it was his first NFL snap he played since December 8, 2024. Brooks could see a heavy workload early on as Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) is week-to-week and likely questionable for Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. Brooks has been a trendy name whose fantasy stock has risen with a strong training camp. He is steadily becoming a running back to target in the middle rounds at his current Yahoo Fantasy ADP of 77 and is ranked 91st overall in the latest RotoBaller rankings.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that running back Jonathon Brooks will play in the team's second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, mixing in with Chuba Hubbard, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. It will be Brooks' first game played since his rookie season in 2024 after he didn't play in last week's Hall of Fame game and missed the entire 2025 campaign due to another torn ACL in his knee. Rico Dowdle is no longer in Carolina's backfield, and while Hubbard is the team's clear RB1, Brooks is expected to have a significant RB2/change-of-pace role in Canales' offense this year. The former second-rounder from the University of Texas has only played in three games in the NFL, so it's hard to know what to expect from him if he can finally stay healthy. Brooks has looked good this summer, though, and he's an intriguing handcuff option/RB3/flex target with upside if Hubbard gets injured or struggles again in 2026.