Jonathon Brooks has played three games in his NFL career and is being drafted like an established starter. The fantasy community has fallen hard for the Carolina backfield’s newest favorite. There is a real case to be made for him, and there are just as many unanswered questions. Fantasy managers have to decide whether the rising price still leaves any value on the table.
Should I Draft Jonathon Brooks in Fantasy Football?
I succumbed to the pressure and moved Brooks ahead of Chuba Hubbard. I am certainly not happy about it. Hubbard’s early August hamstring strain was the final straw, and I had to make the move.
That does not mean I am comfortable with the breakneck speed at which Brooks’ ADP has risen. The fantasy community seems awfully confident in a running back who has played all of three NFL games. Three. That is the entire professional body of work being priced into a top-32 selection.
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None of this is to say Brooks cannot pay off at cost. He was the best running back in the 2024 class, and I liked the prospect a great deal. The complication was always the health. He entered the league coming off a torn ACL, then promptly re-tore the same ligament in his third professional game.
So the questions pile up. Is Brooks still as explosive as he was in college? Can he actually stay healthy over a full season? And even if the answer to both is yes, what does that production look like inside a Carolina Panthers offense projecting as one of the lowest-scoring units in the league? That last one matters more than people want to admit. Talent in a bad offense still has a ceiling.
There is also a timing problem with writing about him at all. There will invariably be a gap between when I write this and when you read it. Who knows how high his ADP climbs by the final weekend in August? The trajectory has been straight up, and nothing about the current sentiment suggests it slows down.
Let me be clear about where I land, because this is not a fade. Brooks is my RB32, essentially right on top of his RB31 ADP. I want to believe in him. The talent that made him the top back in his class does not simply evaporate because of two knee injuries, and there is a genuine path to him being the best back in that building by midseason.
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The issue is opportunity cost. The community has steamed Brooks up to a point where taking him means passing on players with far more established production. That is a steep ask for a back with 12 career touches and a legitimate injury history.
I am not fading Brooks. I do think the hype has gotten a bit out of control, and I fully expect to be priced out as a result.
Katz’s RB Fantasy Rankings 2026
- Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
- Bijan Robinson | ATL
- Jonathan Taylor | IND
- Christian McCaffrey | SF
- James Cook III | BUF
- Ashton Jeanty | LV
- Chase Brown | CIN
- Saquon Barkley | PHI
- Kenneth Walker III | KC
- Derrick Henry | BAL
- Omarion Hampton | LAC
- Jeremiyah Love | ARI
- De'Von Achane | MIA
- Breece Hall | NYJ
- Kyren Williams | LAR
- Josh Jacobs | GB
- Javonte Williams | DAL
- Travis Etienne Jr. | NO
- D'Andre Swift | CHI
- Cam Skattebo | NYG
- Quinshon Judkins | CLE
- David Montgomery | HOU
- Bhayshul Tuten | JAX
- Jaylen Warren | PIT
- Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
- Jadarian Price | SEA
- Bucky Irving | TB
- Jonathon Brooks | CAR
- TreVeyon Henderson | NE
- Tony Pollard | TEN
- Kenny Gainwell | TB
- Rico Dowdle | PIT
- Blake Corum | LAR
- Chuba Hubbard | CAR
- Rachaad White | WAS
- RJ Harvey | DEN
- Kyle Monangai | CHI
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS
- Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN
- Jordan Mason | MIN
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAX
- J.K. Dobbins | DEN
- Woody Marks | HOU
- Dylan Sampson | CLE
- Zach Charbonnet | SEA
- Tyjae Spears | TEN
- Tyler Allgeier | ARI
- Brian Robinson Jr. | ATL
- Tank Bigsby | PHI
- Jonah Coleman | DEN
