Carolina Panthers RB Named Player to Avoid in Fantasy Football

The Carolina Panthers continue to prepare for the 2026 NFL season as training camp rolls on. After a win in their first preseason game on Thursday, the Panthers will head to Buffalo to face off against the Bills on Saturday. 

Dave Canales and his staff are getting a good look at their roster for this upcoming season as they look to repeat as NFC South champions. But in order to repeat, the Panthers are going to have to answer some questions that the doubters have. 

One position that is in focus is at running back.

Carolina moved on from Rico Dowdle who is now in Pittsburgh with the Steelers after signing a free agent deal there. That means the Panthers are rolling into the season with Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks as their lead backs. However, if you're a fantasy football player, the outlook for the running backs position in Carolina is not a good one. 

ESPN's Eric Karabell offered some fantasy football advice for the upcoming season and he placed Brooks on the "do not draft" list. Here is what he wrote on the situation in Carolina:

I don't think we can assume that the Carolina Panthers will give Jonathon Brooks major volume, as the 2024 second-round pick barely played his first two seasons as he recovered from multiple knee tears, but there is enough doubt to worry about Chuba Hubbard being a safe RB3. Perhaps fading both of them is the play.

Brooks is coming off a 2025 season in which he didn't play at all coming off a ACL tear he suffered in 2024. From a fantasy football perspective, there is a risk to drafting Brooks due to the injuries he's suffered. Add in that he will split time with Hubbard and it might be tough to validate making him a draft pick this season.

But for the Panthers, they are hoping that Brooks can have a strong season coming off that injury and contribute. If Brooks and the run game can get going, it would be huge not only for quarterback Bryce Young to have a strong run game but for the offense in general.