Jonathon Brooks Might Be Better Panthers Fantasy Play Than Chuba Hubbard

The starting running back on any offense is a pretty good fantasy football pick, even if they have a good backup. That player is going to get the bulk of the touches, which is usually a good sign for fantasy. Efficiency really doesn't matter for that.

With the Carolina Panthers, that's Chuba Hubbard now that Rico Dowdle is off to Pittsburgh. The Panthers' offense may not be very good, but Hubbard is a starting running back, hence why he's currently the RB27 in fantasy drafts.

That's low because he's coming off a bad year, but it still means he's a decent pick just due to the volume he's likely to get. But is the fantasy world overlooking Jonathon Brooks, Hubbard's backup? One insider thinks so, and it's easy to see why.

Jonathon Brooks could be the best Panthers RB for fantasy

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (24) walk on to the field | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

In 2024, Chuba Hubbard was really good. That led to an increase in his fantasy stock. In 2025, he was being picked in the late fourth, early fifth-round range. That made him one of the highest drafted Panthers in quite some time.

That obviously didn't pan out, as Dowdle outplayed him, and now Hubbard's stock is really bad. Might we have another backup taking over situation with Jonathon Brooks, who is being drafted as the RB38 now?

ESPN fantasy and betting writer Liz Loza wrote, "His red flags are bright, yet Carolina's faith in his abilities has yet to wane. The team let Rico Dowdle's contract expire and didn't add to the position during the 2026 draft. With Chuba Hubbard as his main competition, and reportedly back to health, Brooks enters the season ready to capitalize."

Obviously, those red flags are quite red. Brooks is coming off his second torn ACL to the same knee suffered within 13 months of each other. It's very possible his knee is toast. He's also in year three with less than 10 total touches.

And yet, the Panthers, who've seen him every day and have the medicals on his knee, are adamant he can still be a good contributor. They firmly believe in him, so much so that they never even considered re-signing Dowdle.

Loza's prediction is that Brooks will take over RB1 duties from Hubbard and finish with over 900 rushing yards. If that's going to be the case, then he'd be a much more valuable fantasy pick in later rounds.

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) is introduced before a game | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Last year, Dowdle's ADP was 146 or RB51. He obviously way outplayed that. Hubbard's ADP was 45 or RB18. That would've been a lot closer to what Dowdle ended up being, so they had a clear reversal. Those who skipped Hubbard and grabbed Dowdle as a late handcuff were very vindicated.

Is the same thing going to happen again? It's possible. Brooks is the early standout at OTAs, and he looks healthy and dynamic. Still, the Panthers love Hubbard, so even if Brooks does well, we don't expect him to totally take the reins from Hubbard.

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