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The Carolina Panthers selected running back Jonathon Brooks in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite coming off a torn ACL in his final college season at Texas, Brooks was the first running back selected in the draft.
The 20-year-old rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023 before tearing his ACL against TCU late in the year. With Brooks suffering that knee injury just eight months ago, the Panthers have eased the rookie in this offseason.
So, is Brooks injured or healthy? Will he be ready for training camp? Let's dive in and find out.
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Jonathon Brooks Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Brooks was always going to be limited this offseason, especially after tearing his ACL in November. The 20-year-old missed rookie minicamp in May as part of his ongoing recovery, and Panthers head coach Dave Canales said the former Texas product would be eased into training camp in July.
Well, that appears to be the case, as Carolina decided to place Brooks on the active/non-football injury list ahead of training camp. The rookie was placed on the NFI list because he suffered his knee injury away from the team. However, the Panthers can activate him at any point.
Panthers placed second-round pick Jonathon Brooks on the active/non-football injury list. Brooks can be activated any time, but his absence for the start of camp was expected as he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered last November. pic.twitter.com/ii7V9tvoH3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 19, 2024
So, there's a chance Brooks will be activated from the NFI list shortly after training camp begins. Still, expect the team to be careful with its young running back leading up to Week 1.
Jonathon Brooks Fantasy Football Outlook
There's a strong possibility that Brooks is extremely limited to start the 2024 season. As a result, Chuba Hubbard could start the year as the Panthers' RB1.
However, as the season goes on, look for the rookie to get more and more involved on offense. He is definitely the most talented in Carolina's backfield, and his time to lead this group will come later in 2024. That makes Brooks a sneaky option at his 103 ADP.
If you're worried about Jonathon Brooks coming off a torn ACL from last November, there's another player who did the same thing in his rookie year...
Todd Gurley 👀@MattHarmon_BYB | @FBInjuryDoc pic.twitter.com/J3RoJFgQ7y
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) July 17, 2024
Championships aren't won in September, and stashing Brooks for the second half of the season could be a big boost for your fantasy team. He will eventually overtake Hubbard or Miles Sanders for the team's RB1 job, making him a nice target in the ninth round of fantasy drafts.
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