Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks is Rapidly Replacing Chuba Hubbard in Fantasy Football

Hubbard's stock has already dipped with preseason injury

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With the NFL season just weeks away now, it's officially fantasy football draft season. Even though Week 1 of the season is just 25 days away, there's still time for players' stock to rise or fall.

For the Carolina Panthers, the starters haven't even had any in-game action yet, and there's already a slew of injuries. The latest comes in the backfield, as Chuba Hubbard is missing Saturday's preseason road matchup against the Buffalo Bills with a hamstring injury.

It's bad enough that Hubbard is injured in any capacity, but a hamstring injury is especially tricky to navigate and one that can be aggravated very easily. Now that Hubbard is hurt, Jonathon Brooks is taking first-team snaps and will run with the first team against Buffalo.

The implications for Saturday's preseason game are obvious, but theres one more ripple effect of Hubbards injury.

Jonathon Brooks Fantasy Stock Rises, Chuba Hubbard's Falls

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On Friday, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport released his list of players who are rising and falling on fantasy draft boards. Each NFL team has either played its first preseason game or is gearing up for this weekend. Carolina hasn't even played starters yet and is seeing some changes in fantasy stock.

Since Hubbard is injured, his fantasy stock has dipped. Subsequently, Jonathon Brooks' stock has risen, as he's fully healthy for the first time since late 2024. There's no denying that Brooks is a risky pick no matter the circumstances, but with Hubbard's injury, the ceiling for Brooks rises significantly.

Brooks and Hubbard were already being picked pretty close together anyway. Hubbard's stock hasn't exactly been in great shape since the 2025 season, when he got hurt early in the year and was replaced by Rico Dowdle.

Since last season, the question has been whether Hubbard can return to being a true bell cow, as he was in 2024, when he posted just under 1,200 rushing yards. Now more than ever, the idea of that type of production feels far-fetched.

Jonathon Brooks' Stock Can Soar Even Higher

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Brooks has already been viewed as the higher upside pick in fantasy than Hubbard. That can escalate even further with a stellar showing on Saturday against the Bills.

Brooks will have limited snaps, as he should. If he takes advantage of his reps and shows the burst and twitch that got him drafted out of Texas, then he could be drafted even higher than the eighth round, which is around the earliest Brooks is coming off the boards.

The disaster of the last two years is real, and fantasy managers have to see Brooks do it first. That being said, if this goes right, Brooks can be a league winner in the middle of fantasy drafts.