The Panthers roll into their bye week in the middle of a win streak—yes, two wins in a row is a “streak”—and signs are pointing to them activating rookie running back Jonathon Brooks for his NFL debut soon. Brooks was the first running back selected off the board as the 46th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, with plenty of hype surrounding his ability to create splash plays and operate as a receiving threat in the backfield. In his sophomore season at Texas, Brooks led his team in rushing yards (1,139) while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. However, he missed the end of the season after suffering a torn ACL in November of 2023, which has sidelined him until now.
The Panthers have officially activated Brooks off the injured reserve, but are still contemplating the right time to get him into game action. With Brooks’ return coming soon, can we still trust playing Chuba Hubbard in our fantasy lineups?
Hubbard has been fantastic in a bleak Carolina offense that was struggling to string plays together and put up points. So far in 2024, the Oklahoma State alum has collected 818 rushing yards (3rd best in the league), 161 carries (T-5th), and six rushing touchdowns (T-8th), cementing himself as the sixth best running back in fantasy football. Not to mention, the Panthers have been such a fan of their lead back that they recently extended him to a four-year, $33.2 million contract right before Week 10 action commenced.
A bright spot for Hubbards’ game is his ability to generate rush yards over expected. In Week 3, the lead back generated +33 RYOE, +14 RYOE in Week 6, and a career-high +71 RYOE this past week in Germany. Hubbard also tied his career high in missed tackles forced (9) vs. the Giants, according to Next Gen Stats. As for fantasy production, Hubbard is averaging 17.32 DraftKings fantasy points per game and has exceeded 20+ FPTS in four contests so far.
The main concern is Brooks possibly stealing a chunk of Hubbard’s volume, or that, with Miles Sanders also a option, the RB situation could turn to “running back by committee”—aka a fantasy manager’s worst nightmare. Head coach Dave Canales spoke to reporters after the Panthers’ overtime win over the Giants about the decision to keep Brooks off the field in Week 10. Canales mentioned he didn’t believe is was time yet, and the rookies’ chances of playing in Week 12 hinge on the severity of Sanders foot/ankle injury he suffered in Germany—which is currently unknown. The possibility that Brooks could sit again if Sanders is healthy makes me believe Brooks wouldn’t see a ton of action even if he does suit up soon.
With Sanders and Hubbard both active the past four games, Hubbard has received 72% of carriers out of the backfield, while Sanders owns just 9.6% of carries. Hubbard also has been utilized as a receiving back, averaging three receptions per game and pulling in 4/6 in Week 10 vs. the Giants. Brooks was scouted for his receiving-threat ability and great bend and quickness flowing through run lanes, so I would expect Brooks to be used out of the backfield in third down scenarios. However, the longer Canales keeps Brooks out of the lineup makes me question if his ACL injury is still affecting his ability to produce at a high level.
Simply put, Hubbard is continuing to be a dominant force for this Panther’s offense, and I don’t see his value changing with the addition of Jonathon Brooks.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
