The Carolina Panthers backfield is one of the bigger question marks in fantasy football.
There's veteran Chuba Hubbard, who was injured this preseason and who was overtaken by Rico Dowdle last year. Then there's Jonathon Brooks, who's torn his ACL twice but who was a second-round pick out of Texas in 2024. It's felt like there was a ton of Brooks momentum as of late.
But that might be put to rest with this report from ESPN's Dan Graziano:
The Panthers like Hubbard a lot -- as a runner, as a locker room leader, as many things. They're excited about Brooks, but his health history means they will be extremely careful with him. He offers a lot of potential and explosiveness, but only if they can keep him on the field.
That's why, to my understanding,
the plan is for Hubbard and Brooks to split carries this season. If Hubbard stays healthy, he's the one in whom they've built up more trust, so I'd expect him to be the one the Panthers lean on to try to grind out games when they have the lead.
Brooks does have the talent, but this might be a case of tempering expectations.
What's the latest on Chuba Hubbard's injury?
Looks like he's projected to be ready for Week 1, per head coach Dave Canales. Via Panthers Wire:
"He's expected to be ready for Week 1. I think he hit over 20 miles an hour the other day in RTP [return-to-play]. But, that's in a controlled setting—and, right now, we didn't wanna put him back out there. He's not ready for someone to pull on his jersey, for him to pull through that. But he's ahead of schedule. He's doing a great job."
This article originally appeared on For The Win: New Panthers RBs report is bad news for Jonathon Brooks in fantasy football
