Jonathon Brooks was a second round pick in 2024 and he entered the league with fantasy football appeal, but his right knee hasn’t cooperated. After tearing his ACL in college, he re-tore it late in the 2024 season and it cost him all of 2025.
Reports surrounding his health have been optimistic all offseason long and that’s elevated him in the rankings. Is the juice worth the squeeze?
Should You Draft Jonathon Brooks in Fantasy Football?
Jonathon Brooks is a name worth rostering, not a name worth reaching for. His ADP sits around 100th overall and that makes him a low-cost bet on touches that obviously carry quite a bit of risk.
Brooks turned 23 this summer, and the tape from his final year at Texas backs up the buzz. He ran for 1,139 yards on 6.1 yards per carry with 10 touchdowns, then added 25 catches for 286 yards and another score through the air. That’s the profile that the Panthers were intrigued by as he came out of college and the one that fantasy managers are chasing.
The path to touches isn’t crowded so much as it’s uninspiring. Chuba Hubbard is the incumbent, and last season he managed just 3.8 yards per carry with one rushing touchdown on 134 attempts. Our Running Back Impact grading system slotted him as RB44 a season ago, something that suggests that there is an opportunity for Brooks should he show well early in the season.
The bigger drag is the offensive environment. During the Bryce Young era, this team ranks 28th in red zone drives, 30th in yards per play, and 31st in points per game. That’s not a context that manufactures fantasy production no matter who’s holding the ball, especially if we are in a full blown committee situation.
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Still, at pick 100 the risk is limited. I’d rather have Jordan Mason in that range given his real shot at seizing a backfield outright in rather short order.
He’s likely capped near a 15-touch ceiling given the injury history (and even that might be optimistic), though there’s a version of this season where his role climbs as the year goes on and peaks right when fantasy managers need it. Carolina has December games against Minnesota, New Orleans and Cincinnati: if there is a window for this offense as a whole to trend near league average, it should come at the perfect time.
Brooks’ Dynasty Fantasy Football Value
Subdued is my read here. Hubbard is signed through 2028, so even a strong showing from Brooks this year doesn’t clear him a path past a committee anytime soon and forgive me if I’m treading lightly when it comes to projecting beyond that.
That’s not the same as saying he’s a dead asset. Brooks can still develop and see his workload grow over time, but the runway to a workhorse role isn’t obvious from here, and the ceiling stays murky until Carolina’s offense or its depth chart changes.
Brooks is interesting, but the ceiling, both short and long term, is capped by what his body can handle. That’s the frame to draft him with: a fine add for managers playing the long game or those with locked-in starting lineups who can stomach some bench risk, not a name to build a rebuild around.
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This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.