Jonathon Brooks Lands On Injured Reserve, Opening The Door For A Potential Austin Ekeler Fantasy Football Return

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks, who exited Week 2 due to injury, will be placed on injured reserve. He will have to undergo surgery to repair his core muscle injury.

#Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks, who left Sunday’s win early, is expected to have surgery today to repair a core muscle injury that will land him on Injured Reserve, sources say.

Brooks is out at least 6 weeks, but should return with plenty of time to contribute down the stretch. pic.twitter.com/RvXTRINyMf
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 23, 2026

Brooks is expected to miss a minimum of six weeks, but is expected to return at some point this season. This is a brutal blow to an extremely talented running back, who has been completely derailed by injuries early in his career.

The team will bring in former Pro Bowl running back Austin Ekeler for a meeting today. He could be joining the team in Brooks' absence and perhaps for the remainder of the season, depending on how things go.

Fantasy Impact

RB Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers

This is terrible news for Brooks, who has worked his way back after tearing his ACL twice, but he is expected to be back this season. This is also tough for fantasy football owners who invested in Brooks, especially if it was after his stock continued to rise late in training camp after Chuba Hubbard suffered an injury.

When relying on Brooks, this was always the risk you were taking, but the bigger concern could be his usage right out of the gate in Week 1. He wasn't going to be a startable option in Week 3 regardless of whether or not he was active. It's not clear whether it was due to health or performance; nevertheless, he was the distant RB2 behind Hubbard.

Once he returns, we don't know what we are going to get from him. If you don't have the room on your roster or injured reserve to hold onto him, don't be afraid to cast him to the waiver wire. It's tough to justify rostering a backup running back for up to half the fantasy season if you don't have a free IR spot.

RB Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

It's wheels up for Hubbard with Brooks sidelined. After sliding down draft boards all summer, he could end up being a league-winning kind of steal. He should be viewed as an RB2 with upside for as long as Brooks is out and perhaps even once he's back. Hubbard should be viewed as a huge win for fantasy football owners.

RB Austin Ekeler, FA

It looks like there is a chance that the Panthers could bring in Ekeler. While we wouldn't view him as a priority waiver wire add, he could certainly carve out a role in the offense with AJ Dillon now locked in as the backup. Not only do they have very different skill sets, but Ekeler, even at 31 years old, could just be a better running back.

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