Jonathon Brooks was the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL draft. The Carolina Panthers drafted Brooks in the second round of the draft. Here is what to look for during Brooks’s rookie season and how it will impact fantasy football.
Jonathon Brooks at Texas
Jonathon Brooks played three years of college football, all with the University of Texas. In his first two seasons, Brooks saw very little playing time due to being far down the depth chart. In those two seasons combined Brooks ran for 340 yards and six touchdowns.
In 2023 Jonathon Brooks finally got his time to shine after Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson moved on to the NFL. During the 2023 season, Brooks racked up over 1,100 yards in his first 11 games. Unfortunately, Brooks tore his ACL and missed the end of the 2023 season where he finished with 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Brooks was regarded as a potential first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, but after his ACL tear, it seemed Brooks would fall and be an early day-two selection.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers traded up to the 46th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select Jonathon Brooks. Brooks was the first running back selected in the draft.
The Panthers running back room struggled in 2023. They signed Miles Sanders to a four-year contract during the 2022 offseason to pair with Chuba Hubbard as they continue to try and replace Christian McCaffery. Sanders looked good through the first couple of games in 2023 but struggled with injuries the rest of the year. Hubbard took over the starting role and finished the season with 900 yards.
Adding Brooks to the Panthers running back room gives them hope to find their McCaffery replacement, but also puts them in a tough spot. ESPN currently has Brooks listed as the Panther’s RB2 behind Hubbard but in front of Sanders.
Predictions and Fantasy Impact
Being listed as the second running back on the depth chart there seems to be mixed feelings on what Brooks’s rookie season will look like. The Panthers have three running backs that could win the starting job which makes it difficult to predict Jonathon Brooks’s rookie season.
With the Panthers trading up in the second round to draft Brooks, it makes me think that they are using a high pick to get their future star running back. I can see Brooks quickly winning the starting job and having a 1,000-yard season, but it seems more likely that the Panthers will use a committee of running backs and Brooks will have around 500 yards in his rookie season.
With lots of unknowns about Brooks’s role in 2024, he could be a risky pick in fantasy football. FantasyPros has Jonathon Brooks listed as their 46th running back and 143rd player overall for 2024 fantasy football. Brooks is currently projected to be a 10th-round pick in 12-team formats. With the unknowns about his workload, the 10th round is a perfect spot to take Brooks. It’s not too early that it is a high risk, while also getting a player to stash for the second half of the year.
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