Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks suffered another tear of his right ACL in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. He suffered the same injury to the same knee last November, which delayed the start to his rookie season.
The Panthers placed RB Miles Sanders (ankle) on IR. He'll miss at least the next four games and can be dropped from all fantasy rosters. Sanders' absence locks in Jonathon Brooks as Carolina's No. 2 RB. He might not be playable in fantasy lineups behind RB Chuba Hubbard. But he's now a Hubbard injury away from a big role.
Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks (knee) was a full-go in practice this week. He’s listed as questionable, but HC Dave Canales said Friday that Brooks is “absolutely” playing against the Chiefs this weekend. RB Miles Sanders (ankle) is out for that one, which clears the way for Brooks to be Carolina’s No. 2 RB. But we’re not expecting him to see a ton of volume behind Chuba Hubbard in his NFL debut. And the matchup is brutal against Kansas City’s top-ranked RB defense.
Panthers HC Dave Canales said Monday that he "fully expect(s)" rookie RB Jonathon Brooks to play this week against the Chiefs. RB Miles Sanders, meanwhile, is expected to miss the game. He's dealing with foot and ankle injuries.
Panthers RB Miles Sanders was carted off the field in the second quarter of Sunday morning's game vs. the Panthers and is officially doubtful to return with a foot/ankle injury. RB Chuba Hubbard will continue to dominate backfield work the rest of the way. Carolina has a Week 11 bye and allegedly might actually play RB Jonathon Brooks in Week 12.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard ran for 72 yards and 2 TDs on 15 carries in Sunday's win over the Saints.
The Panthers are opening the three-week practice window for rookie RB Jonathon Brooks. That gives the team 21 days to either return him to the active roster or shut him down for the season. We're betting on the former. Brooks' IR designation served to let him continue working back from the ACL tear that ended his college career. And we haven't heard about any setbacks in his process.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard ran 21 times for 114 times while adding five catches on all five of his targets for 55 yards and a TD. In a blow-out against the Raiders, Hubbard was put to good use with new QB Andy Dalton taking the reins.
Panthers RB Miles Sanders (finger) isn't listed on the final Week 1 injury report. He injured a finger in Wednesday's practice but was a full participant on Thursday and Friday. Sanders is not a Week 1 fantasy option but figures to siphon at least a handful of touches from lead back Chuba Hubbard.
Panthers RB Miles Sanders suffered a finger injury in Wednesday's practice, according to Steve Reed of The Associated Press. Carolina officially listed him as limited in the week's first practice report.
The Panthers won't have RB Jonathon Brooks (knee) for at least the first four games of the season. That'll leave the backfield to RBs Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. HC Dave Canales said Monday that both guys will be involved.
The Panthers have placed rookie RB Jonathon Brooks on the active/non-football injury list. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that it was an expected move, related to Brooks return from the November ACL tear that ended his final college season.
The Panthers are set to sign RB Rashaad Penny, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Penny is still rocking a career 5.6 yards-per-carry average. But he's suffered a multitude of injuries, most recently a fractured fibula in October 2022. He barely found any snaps on Philadelphia last year, finishing with just 11 carries for 33 yards. There's opportunity in Carolina, where Penny joins a backfield with rookie Jonathon Brooks, Chuba Hubbard, and Miles Sanders. But it'd be a surprise if the now-28-year-old Penny re-emerged as a fantasy asset.
Panthers HC Dave Canales talked up RB Jonathon Brooks' versatility in his post-draft press conference. "He's a bigger back. He's got range. There's so much that he brings from a versatility standpoint," Canales said. "That's probably the biggest thing that stood out. Vision, patience, contact balance, acceleration. He's got it all. He's the best back in this class and we're so fired up to be able to bring him in." Canales also talked about his system looking to flex RBs out wide and get them in space with the screen game. That's exactly what we saw from Canales' Bucs offense last year, with RB Rachaad White ranking top-9 among RBs in targets, catches, and receiving yards. Brooks flashed strong pass-catching skills in his 10 outings last season, averaging 28.6 receiving yards per game and 11.4 yards per catch. With RBs Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders as his only backfield competition, Brooks has a chance to capture a big role early in his rookie season. The only real roadblock is his recovery from his November ACL tear.
Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks confirmed on Friday night that he's on track to be ready for training camp after tearing his ACL in November. “I’m out there, I’m running, I’m about to start cutting," Brooks said. "So I’m progressing well. I’m right on track on where I need to be." Despite the knee injury, Brooks was the only RB in the class to get Round 2 capital. And he landed in a backfield with Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders as the competition for touches. The Panthers might slow-roll Brooks early this season. But it shouldn't take him long to emerge as the clear lead back. He boasts top-20 upside in redraft leagues and already looks like a top-12 dynasty RB.
The Panthers selected Texas RB Jonathon Brooks in Round 2 of the NFL Draft. Brooks spent just 10 games as Texas’ lead back and is coming off a November ACL tear. But there’s a reason the Panthers made him the No.1 RB off the board. Brooks averaged 114 rushing yards and 1.0 rushing TDs on 6.1 yards per carry across his 10 outings last year. He ranked top-12 among 157 qualifying RBs in Pro Football Focus rushing grade, missed tackles forced per attempt, and PFF Elusive Rating. Brooks was also a weapon as a receiver, averaging 2.5 catches and 29 receiving yards per game. He ranked 21st among 112 qualifying RBs in yards per route and 12th in PFF receiving grade. Flip on the tape and Brooks impresses with elite acceleration, sneaky elusiveness, and enough long speed to break big runs. He’s a natural pass-catcher with good hands and plenty of juice after the catch. The 6’0, 216-pounder certainly has three-down potential in the NFL. We’ll track his rehab from that torn ACL, but Brooks is on track to be medically cleared by the start of training camp (confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). If healthy, Brooks should slot in as the RB1 ahead of Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. There’s a top-15 ceiling here if the Panthers can get significantly better play out of Bryce Young.
Asked this week about the Panthers' RB depth chart, new OC Brad Idzik didn't name a starter. "I think that kinda sorts itself out ... and you let them compete right up until Game 1," he said. Idzik added that "we have a lot of good runners" -- so it's possible he's been accidentally watching 2023 film of the wrong team. Carolina, of course, watched Chuba Hubbard and his 3.8 yards per carry (plus 6.0 per catch) seize the backfield lead from Miles Sanders. That came after Sanders signed one of the market's biggest RB free-agent deals last offseason. Don't be surprised if the Panthers add a RB in the draft or another source. As it stands, Hubbard has to be the favorite for work over Sanders. But the latter has enjoyed the more productive career to date. Heading into just his age-27 season, Sanders is capable of rebounding at least ahead of Hubbard. Neither should excite you for fantasy right now. Best ball ADP positions Sanders (RB59, Round 17) as the better value than Hubbard (RB39, Round 11).
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard carried 23 times in Sunday’s blowout loss to New Orleans. Carolina ran 79 plays, which helped Hubbard generate such a hefty workload. Once again, he played well ahead of Miles Sanders, who mixed in with 10 carries. A still-poor Carolina offense limited Hubbard to 3.8 YPC and stopped a 2-game scoring streak. Volume will keep him in the RB2/FLEX mix for the final few weeks.
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