JonathonBrooks

News: 7 hours agoPanthers coach Dave Canales said Friday that Brooks (knee) "absolutely" will play Sunday against the Chiefs despite technically being listed as questionable on the final injury report, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Spin: Canales said Brooks wouldn't be on a "pitch count" in the event of an injury to Chuba Hubbard, who is still viewed as "the starting point" of Carolina's backfield, per Sheena Quick of Fox Sports Radio 1340. It remains to be seen if Brooks will have a larger role than what's typically been handled by Miles Sanders, who will be inactive for the first time this season due to an ankle injury. Hubbard's impressive season means the Panthers don't have any incentive to put Brooks in a large role for his first football game since suffering an ACL tear at Texas last November.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: The Panthers took Brooks with the 46th pick in the 2024 draft and he'll join a crowded backfield in Carolina that already includes Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. He is coming off an ACL injury suffered in November and will miss at least the first four games of his rookie season, but he could quickly emerge as the lead back given his ability to slash and create big plays. Add in the fact he's a gifted receiver out of the backfield and he looks like a three-down back in an NFL offense. While this could end up as a textbook backfield by committee situation, Brooks is good enough to to emerge as a fantasy force as a rookie. Target Brooks in the later rounds in redraft leagues this season and stash him on your IR.