If you play fantasy football, don't draft Chuba Hubbard or Jonathon Brooks of the Carolina Panthers.
NFL analyst Alex Kay of Bleacher Report got brutally honest on why you shouldn't draft Chuba Hubbard or Jonathon Brooks of the Carolina Panthers in fantasy football.
Kay believes Hubbard and Brooks have a "fair share of red flags that should give any manager pause before selecting them near their current ADPs."
"While Hubbard is only a year removed from finishing as fantasy's RB14, he plummeted to RB32 over the first eight weeks of 2025 before being replaced by Rico Dowdle in the starting lineup and seeing his workload significantly decrease," Kay wrote. "He tallied a meager 52.4 fantasy points the rest of the way and comes into 2026 with real concern about his ability to return to form.
"Brooks is an even riskier option, as injuries have been the unfortunate story of his NFL career. A series of ACL injuries have limited him to just three games in total and his production in those contests was almost non-existent. ... Given Hubbard's regression last year and recent hamstring injury, along with Brooks' longstanding injury concerns, it's best to avoid this backfield altogether in your fantasy draft."
For the Panthers last season, Hubbard had 511 rushing yards and just one rushing touchdown on 134 carries. He's currently out with a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Brooks missed all of last season recovering from his second ACL tear. He has only nine carries in the NFL for 22 rushing yards.
Hubbard enters this season with 3,686 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns in the NFL. He's been with the Panthers since 2021. The hope in Carolina is that the 27-year-old will be ready to go for Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.
The Panthers have a difficult 2026 schedule. They face the Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.
Bryce Young isn't the best passer in the NFL, so Hubbard and Brooks must do some damage on the ground for the Panthers to have an effective offense.
Even though the Panthers won the NFC South title last season, they finished with a sub-.500 record and needed help in Week 18 to win the division. It will be intriguing to see how Carolina does in 2026. The team can no longer fly under the radar after making the playoffs last season.
