Jonathan Brooks, are we back in?

[Maximum Overkill]

Reports from camp are that he looks great. 

Still only 22 years old, he was the RB1 in the 2024 draft, with an elite pass catching pedigree. 

I just traded for him in a couple leagues, both cost me a 2028 2nd round rookie pick. 

 

[TBayXXXVII]

You paid that high of a price for a guy who's going to be a bad teams' 3rd RB on the depth chart (at best)?  I'd have thought a Snickers bar would have been sufficient.  Now, don't get me wrong, I could see using my last pick in a re-draft on him, as a lottery pick if Bo Jackson was off the board.

[Maximum Overkill]

6 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

You paid that high of a price for a guy who's going to be a teams 3rd RB on the depth chart (at best)?

He's already #2 on the depth chart and they didn't draft a RB this off-season. 

Keep in mind, this is a dynasty league. This move isn't necessarily for this season, he's only 22.  

 

[TBayXXXVII]

9 minutes ago, Maximum Overkill said:

He's already #2 on the depth chart and they didn't draft a RB this off-season. 

Keep in mind, this is a dynasty league. This move isn't necessarily for this season, he's only 22.  

 

Only busting stones.

Don't think teams have any official depth charts out yet.

[Maximum Overkill]

37 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

Only busting stones.

Don't think teams have any official depth charts out yet.

They do have official depth charts. You can find them on ESPN or Ourlads which I prefer. 

Regardless, Jonathan Brooks was the RB1 in the 2024 draft. The only one currently behind him is TREVOR Etienne, there's no chance that a kick returner is beating out Jonathan Brooks. 

That draft capital goes a long ways. 

If he is truly healthy it won't take long for him to beat out Hubbard who's on a 1 year deal anyhow. I love the dynasty prospect for Brooks. 

[Maximum Overkill]

Dynasty steal if healthy, just my opinion

 

[weepaws]

Right now I have him as a high rb4, only because of his injuries, but hes going to be moving up my list of the news stays positive. If he's healthy Hubbard will be a bench warmer.

[TBayXXXVII]

1 hour ago, Maximum Overkill said:

They do have official depth charts. You can find them on ESPN or Ourlads which I prefer. 

Regardless, Jonathan Brooks was the RB1 in the 2024 draft. The only one currently behind him is TREVOR Etienne, there's no chance that a kick returner is beating out Jonathan Brooks. 

That draft capital goes a long ways. 

If he is truly healthy it won't take long for him to beat out Hubbard who's on a 1 year deal anyhow. I love the dynasty prospect for Brooks. 

Those aren't official depth charts.  Official depth charts are found on the teams' websites.  They don't usually set those until August.  Any outlet posting one, is just speculating.

For the sake of accuracy, Hubbard signed an extension through 2028.  He's set to make $7M next year and $8.8M in the following year.  Now, they could just cut him after the season and incur a small cap hit, but he's not on a 1-year deal.

[Maximum Overkill]

2 hours ago, TBayXXXVII said:

Now, they could just cut him after the season and incur a small cap hit, but he's not on a 1-year deal.

And that's what's going to happen. That'll be his year 28 season. My bad, I thought he had just 1 more year. 

I'm sure you realize how hard running backs are to come by in Dynasty. Unless you hit on a rookie, it's damn near impossible to get one. 

And second round rookie picks are nothing but a crap shoot in Dynasty. You're lucky if you hit on anything in the second round. 

I'm totally comfortable giving up 2028 2nd rounders for a lottery ticket at RB.

 

[Ray_T]

5 hours ago, Maximum Overkill said:

He's already #2 on the depth chart and they didn't draft a RB this off-season. 

Keep in mind, this is a dynasty league. This move isn't necessarily for this season, he's only 22.  

 

Dynasty is different.   when I was in Dynasty I'd identify players in backup roles who have the potential to produce if given the chance.  and Hed fit into that bucket.

redraft is all about what you can get from a guy starting week 1.   a higher upside player you may hold onto if you dont think he starts until week 6 or so.  but generally guys like this go on my 'players to watch' list and I pick them up in the event of injury or any news that suggests they have a decent chance to start in the near future.   but these guys are rarely drafted in redraft leagues.

 

[TBayXXXVII]

1 hour ago, Maximum Overkill said:

And that's what's going to happen. That'll be his year 28 season. My bad, I thought he had just 1 more year. 

I'm sure you realize how hard running backs are to come by in Dynasty. Unless you hit on a rookie, it's damn near impossible to get one. 

And second round rookie picks are nothing but a crap shoot in Dynasty. You're lucky if you hit on anything in the second round. 

I'm totally comfortable giving up 2028 2nd rounders for a lottery ticket at RB.

 

Yeah, I was just being a ball buster on the price you paid.  That's all.

I do think Hubbard is a concern for you though.  Is he great?  No, but he's pretty good.  While they did give him an extension they could get out of, I'm not so sure they will.  As you stated, they didn't draft a RB this year and Brooks only has this year and next year left on his contract.  That means that Hubbard and Brooks are their only "go-to" guys.  I don't think they're going to just start giving carries to an oft-injured RB and just dump the other guy.  I think both would be used at an equal measure, at the very least.

[WhiteWonder]

so you traded for him in some of your dynasty leagues, started a topic about him asking if we are back in?, but the only answer you really want to hear is yes, we are back in and he is a great target and you made a great trade!  

 

Hubbard is pretty cost efficient for them. Brooks has not carried the ball in an NFL game since his 9 attempts 2 seasons ago. Tore the same ACL twice right?  

I don't think I could trade a 2nd for him, personally. But then again also value picks less than your average dynasty owner does so maybe I would. 

 

[Maximum Overkill]

1 hour ago, WhiteWonder said:

don't think I could trade a 2nd for him, personally. But then again also value picks less than your average dynasty owner does so maybe I would. 

Honestly, 2nd round rookie picks in Dynasty are almost useless. My projected 2028 2nd round pick will be a late one since I'm going to be a contender. 

I have no problem taking a shot on a RB who was drafted as the RB1 in 2024. He's still young and has an elite profile. He's far more talented than Hubbard and if he gets on the field he's probably not coming off. 

 

 

[WhiteWonder]

25 minutes ago, Maximum Overkill said:

Honestly, 2nd round rookie picks in Dynasty are almost useless. My projected 2028 2nd round pick will be a late one since I'm going to be a contender. 

I have no problem taking a shot on a RB who was drafted as the RB1 in 2024. He's still young and has an elite profile. He's far more talented than Hubbard and if he gets on the field he's probably not coming off. 

 

 

If 2nd round rookie picks in dynasty are almost useless, you’re doing it wrong, tbh. There are plenty of ways to build a winner and you obviously don’t need 2nd and 3rd round rookie picks to do so, but claiming they are useless means you likely are not great at evaluating rookies beyond what cut and paste websites tell you.

ill be more than happy if Brooks turns out great. But to say he’s not coming off the field once he sees it, what are you basing this off of? The kid hasn’t played a meaningful snap of football in 2 years. 

[Maximum Overkill]

9 hours ago, WhiteWonder said:

If 2nd round rookie picks in dynasty are almost useless, you’re doing it wrong,

Delp, Bernard, Chig Okonkwo, Daulton Shultz, Brazzel and C. Douglas were all mid to late 2nd round picks this year. 

Who excites you out of this bunch more that a RB who was drafted 3 overall just 2 years ago?

Do you even play Dynasty? 

[WhiteWonder]

1 hour ago, Maximum Overkill said:

Delp, Bernard, Chig Okonkwo, Daulton Shultz, Brazzel and C. Douglas were all mid to late 2nd round picks this year. 

Who excites you out of this bunch more that a RB who was drafted 3 overall just 2 years ago?

Do you even play Dynasty? 

Yes I play dynasty, likely in more leagues than you over the years although I recently trimmed down and only kept 1 dynasty league. 

The rest of your post makes absolutely no sense if you don't provide any context.  

Brooks was drafted 3rd overall in what? Rookie drafts? That's subjective as he went 6th in mine after Nabers, MHJ, Odunze, Bowers, and BTjr.  PPR, start 2 Rb, 2WR, 1TE, 2FLX  ....  Remember when Ryan Matthews was a #1 pick?  

Why are Chig Okonkwo and Daulton Shultz going in round 2 of rookie drafts this year? Even if its a rookie/FA draft why are they both not owned?  Also why is Oscar Delp going in round 2? I got him at 4.08.  My league is IDP as well but even consensus ADP has Delp in the mid to late 3rd round, Caleb Douglas even later. 

You also traded a 2028 2nd, so why are you comping it to this years weaker draft class? 

You made the trade, like I said, I hope it works out because I hope Brooks overcomes the injuries and is great... why start the topic if you can't handle any differing opinions? 

[Maximum Overkill]

33 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

why start the topic if you can't handle any differing opinions? 

I appreciate your input, you obviously know your stuff. I feel like we both made great arguments, we obviously put different value on guys and that's cool, to each his own. 

I feel this is a gamble worth taking in Dynasty, you don't see the value, we have different opinions and that's ok. 

We'll agree to disagree on this one

[WhiteWonder]

8 minutes ago, Maximum Overkill said:

I appreciate your input, you obviously know your stuff. I feel like we both made great arguments, we obviously put different value on guys and that's cool, to each his own. 

I feel this is a gamble worth taking in Dynasty, you don't see the value, we have different opinions and that's ok. 

We'll agree to disagree on this one

the hilarious part is I can see myself making this trade because like I mentioned earlier, I put less value on draft picks than the typical Dynasty owner. I don't do rebuilds, for example. I'd be much more likely to just keep flipping picks for known, win now type players. 

But I feel like most dynasty owners would hold that 2nd and I do think there are a ton of red flags for Brooks. 

and even though I value picks less than most, I thought calling 2nd round rookie picks useless was overblown. A good evaluator can make bank in rounds 2/3

but we can agree to disagree, yes 

[Maximum Overkill]

4 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

I put less value on draft picks than the typical Dynasty owner

Same. I'd much rather trade picks, even high picks for known assets. Unless it's a slam dunk, I'm usually trading that pick. 

 

[Maximum Overkill]

Good news out of OTAs 

Jonathon Brooks is looking explosive at Carolina Panthers OTAs, and that matters

The Panthers are taking things cautiously with Brooks at this juncture. However, Darin Gantt on the team's website noted that his explosiveness and burst are traits Chuba Hubbard simply doesn't have.

And for a Panthers team looking to generate more explosive plays next season, that matters.

"The version of Jonathon Brooks we're seeing on the field during OTAs is encouraging. Because we haven't seen it on an NFL field for the last two years, it's easy to forget, but he has explosive speed, and there are times when you see that pop on the practice field. He's a different player than Chuba Hubbard, and that's a positive because the contrast makes each of them better."

Brooks looks sharp and ready to finally remind the world why the Panthers traded up to take him at No. 46 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. It's taken significant resolve to reach this point. Now, it's about gradually building his strength and confidence to ensure he is ready in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.

Panthers finally get a glimpse of the Jonathon Brooks they never stopped believing in https://share.google/uOQwe0R9Y5McTA55L

[jrokh]

Stop trying to make fetch happen…

[weepaws]

I think that's great, but everyone knows that he's better than Hubbard, the big news will come at the end of the season, that he lasted  

[Maximum Overkill]

6 hours ago, weepaws said:

I think that's great, but everyone knows that he's better than Hubbard, the big news will come at the end of the season, that he lasted  

Agree, first and foremost he better stay on the field. I'm just not a Hubbard fan, at all. 

[Ray_T]

On 5/30/2026 at 10:01 PM, WhiteWonder said:

If 2nd round rookie picks in dynasty are almost useless, you’re doing it wrong, tbh. There are plenty of ways to build a winner and you obviously don’t need 2nd and 3rd round rookie picks to do so, but claiming they are useless means you likely are not great at evaluating rookies beyond what cut and paste websites tell you.

I'd agree with this.

it does not matter which sport you play fantasy in.    fantasy is won with the late round picks.    Everyone knows who the top 30-40 fantasy players are in the NFL.

its the analaysis that goes beyond that point that separates the pretenders from the contenders.

if you are not getting startable players with late round rookie dynasty picks you likely will never win.   I agree the miss rate on those is higher than it is for the first round picks but if you do your homework, you should be able to hit on a 2nd or third round pick at least half the time (that would be my goal)

[weepaws]

11 hours ago, Maximum Overkill said:

Agree, first and foremost he better stay on the field. I'm just not a Hubbard fan, at all. 

I am if Hubbard is on my team and producing 

[weepaws]

Just read an article that says, Brooks isn't participating in team reps at otas, I think Hubbard stock might go up on my list a little.

[Maximum Overkill]

7 hours ago, weepaws said:

Just read an article that says, Brooks isn't participating in team reps at otas, I think Hubbard stock might go up on my list a little.

I just read that they gave him a day off. Nothing having to do with the injury 

[Ray_T]

On 6/2/2026 at 10:35 PM, weepaws said:

Just read an article that says, Brooks isn't participating in team reps at otas, I think Hubbard stock might go up on my list a little.

well, if hes torn the same ACL twice now, the odds of a successful comeback at this point are getting real long.   I dont think hes likely a threat to any starting job now.

I wouldnt say its impossible.   but highly improbable.

 

[weepaws]

He has youth on his side 

[Maximum Overkill]

I know I'm over hyping the guy but I really do love the upside at his current cost. He's probably almost free in redraft. 

As @weepaws stated, he's still younger than many of the running backs who were just drafted. I'm just hopeful he stays healthy. 

[Mike FF Today]

From Mike Kaye and the Charlotte Observer on 6/2...

"Regarding his role initially, he (Brooks) will probably be used similarly to Rico Dowdle in the first two weeks of last season. The team believes Hubbard can still be a workhorse, and he will probably take the lion’s share of the touches out of the backfield early on."

"If Brooks proves that he can stay durable and handle a consistent workload during the first month of the season, perhaps Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik will adjust the rotation after the Week 5 bye. Eventually, if he can stay on the field, it’d be fair to expect Brooks to even up his looks with Hubbard. Brooks shouldn’t be limited to just pass-catching and third-down work, regardless of the timing of the season. This is year three of Brooks’ rookie contract, and the Panthers should be seeking to get as much out of their 2024 second-round pick as possible. Obviously, they’ll need to be smart with him, but they also can’t just keep the training wheels on him."

[Maximum Overkill]

14 minutes ago, Mike FF Today said:

If Brooks proves that he can stay durable and handle a consistent workload during the first month of the season, perhaps Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik will adjust the rotation after the Week 5 bye.

If healthy there's no chance that he doesn't beat out Hubbard for RB1. He's light years more talented than Hubbard and much younger. 

Staying healthy is the key. 

[Super Cubs]

He's a player I'm not going out of my way to get. If he fails to the point I feel he's a good value I'll take a chance. If he blows up and I miss out on a great player so be it. It would not be the first or last time that happens.

[weepaws]

10 hours ago, Maximum Overkill said:

If healthy there's no chance that he doesn't beat out Hubbard for RB1. He's light years more talented than Hubbard and much younger. 

Staying healthy is the key. 

Coaches decisions will be the key

[Ray_T]

On 6/7/2026 at 11:44 AM, Maximum Overkill said:

If healthy there's no chance that he doesn't beat out Hubbard for RB1. He's light years more talented than Hubbard and much younger. 

Staying healthy is the key. 

sure, but hes torn the same ACL twice now.  the odds of him ever being healthy enough to take a starting workload is slim.

hes probably better suited as a change of pace back as I dont think he will ever be healthy enough.

fully healthy he was a very good prospect.   I just dont think he will ever be fully healthy again.  So we will likely never see what could have been.

[Maximum Overkill]

12 hours ago, Ray_T said:

sure, but hes torn the same ACL twice now.  the odds of him ever being healthy enough to take a starting workload is slim.

There's been plenty of players who came back from 2 ACLs on the same knee. Some who went on to pro bowls. And that was years ago, the technology is better and he's very young. 

I'm not saying he will, but the risk is priced into his current value. I want upside and I love the price. 

[TBayXXXVII]

1 hour ago, Maximum Overkill said:

There's been plenty of players who came back from 2 ACLs on the same knee. Some who went on to pro bowls. And that was years ago, the technology is better and he's very young. 

I'm not saying he will, but the risk is priced into his current value. I want upside and I love the price. 

Bet you can't name 1 RB who even had a "decent" career in the NFL.

Also, yes, the technology is way better today than 20 years ago.  That said, the advancement is in the heal time based on the procedure.  Using a cadavor is the best way to go for strength.  Reason being, they use a dead guy's achillies tendon to replace the ACL (autograft).  Once removed, the achillies loses 50% of it's strength.  That's not a bad thing, as the achillies is way stronger than the ACL.  When substituted in for the ACL, it's approximately 95% of the strength of the original ACL.  The downside to that is that it comes with a longer healing time.  The faster healing time is to take the cartilage from your own body (allograft), to recreate an ACL.  Because it's coming from your own body, there's no foreign agent in your body and the heal time is faster.  It's also better for your body health overall.  The downside is that you're degrading another part of your body.  You made another part of your body weaker.  For athletes, that's a bad thing.

To the newer technology... the BEAR implant allows your body to absorb the damaged ligament and repair itself, using your own body to fix itself (over time, obviously), instead of internal or external grafts.  Here's the thing.  It only affects heal time.  It's still repaired ligament and it's still going to react the same way as the other procedures.  Dont' get fooled by the technology.  Your body is still going to heal and it's going to heal to the same result.  It's just faster and healthier/safer.  It doesn't mean your body didn't experince trama/damage.

[Maximum Overkill]

1 hour ago, TBayXXXVII said:

Bet you can't name 1 RB who even had a "decent" career in the NFL.

Also, yes, the technology is way better today than 20 years ago.  That said, the advancement is in the heal time based on the procedure.  Using a cadavor is the best way to go for strength.  Reason being, they use a dead guy's achillies tendon to replace the ACL (autograft).  Once removed, the achillies loses 50% of it's strength.  That's not a bad thing, as the achillies is way stronger than the ACL.  When substituted in for the ACL, it's approximately 95% of the strength of the original ACL.  The downside to that is that it comes with a longer healing time.  The faster healing time is to take the cartilage from your own body (allograft), to recreate an ACL.  Because it's coming from your own body, there's no foreign agent in your body and the heal time is faster.  It's also better for your body health overall.  The downside is that you're degrading another part of your body.  You made another part of your body weaker.  For athletes, that's a bad thing.

To the newer technology... the BEAR implant allows your body to absorb the damaged ligament and repair itself, using your own body to fix itself (over time, obviously), instead of internal or external grafts.  Here's the thing.  It only affects heal time.  It's still repaired ligament and it's still going to react the same way as the other procedures.  Dont' get fooled by the technology.  Your body is still going to heal and it's going to heal to the same result.  It's just faster and healthier/safer.  It doesn't mean your body didn't experince trama/damage.

Frank Gore comes to mind immediately 

Again to reiterate my point, Brooks is ranked RB40 right now in redraft, RB31 in Dynasty. There's zero risk at that price. He's priced as a low end RB4 with RB1 upside. That's exactly the player you target in Dynasty. 

I overpaid for sure but I love the talent and am betting on him getting a starting role in the next 2 seasons, which should happen somewhere. 

 

 

[TBayXXXVII]

18 hours ago, Maximum Overkill said:

Frank Gore comes to mind immediately 

Again to reiterate my point, Brooks is ranked RB40 right now in redraft, RB31 in Dynasty. There's zero risk at that price. He's priced as a low end RB4 with RB1 upside. That's exactly the player you target in Dynasty. 

I overpaid for sure but I love the talent and am betting on him getting a starting role in the next 2 seasons, which should happen somewhere. 

 

 

Ok, I thought Gore had one in each knee.  Without looking it up, I'll just accept you're right.  Don't care about him being RB40 or risk, my point was to only address that specific post.  There's "1", there aren't "plenty" and the technology doesn't address what you may believe it does.  It only addresses heal time and safety.  There's still trauma to the area and there's still weakening of other parts to the knee joint.  Yes, they do heal over time.  That has always been the case and always will be.  That doesn't change the outcomes that we've seen over the years.

From a fantasy perspective, there's a significantly higher chance that he's out of football after the next 2 seasons, than in the starting lineup.  Doesn't mean he has no shot.  He certainly can, but it's not likely.  There's also the added factor that he hasn't played in 2 seasons.  DeShaun Watson wasn't even injured, missed 2 seasons, and look at him now.  Not playing for a significantly long period of time, is a problem that very few players overcome.  Josh Gordon wasn't injured and he missed a 2 seasons.  Odds are, other injuries are going to present themselves, even if Brooks rebounds from his knee injuries.

That said, I don't really think you overpaid for him becauseI don't think a 2nd round pick in 2 years is all that high of a price.  My initial post was just busting your stones.

[Ray_T]

38 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

That said, I don't really think you overpaid for him becauseI don't think a 2nd round pick in 2 years is all that high of a price.  My initial post was just busting your stones.

I think it really depends on the league.   in some leagues a 2nd carries significant value.  in some not so much.    its all about the keeper rules and such.

Thats a know your league thing and I dont know your league.

but I am a believer that if you do your research you can find players with later round picks.   That I firmly believe in.

its mostly a matter of doing the work.   and some are more willing to do that than others.