Jonathon Brooks injury update: Should fantasy managers be concerned about Panthers RB in Week 5?

The Carolina Panthers drafted Jonathon Brooks with the 46th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He was the first running back to get selected in this year's draft but has not played a game yet.

Brooks suffered an ACL injury during his last year at Texas and is still recovering from it. Before the start of the season, the Panthers placed him on the non-football injury list (NFI), which meant he was out for at least the first four games of the season.

Brooks is now eligible to make his NFL debut, but will the running back play in Week 5? Here's the latest update on his status for fantasy football purposes:

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Jonathon Brooks injury update

Jonathan Brooks: NFL Combine - Portraits - Source: Getty

As per reports, the Panthers have still not opened the practice window for Jonathon Brooks. As a result, the rookie will not play in Week 5, but his return is reportedly in the 'final stages'.

In his absence, Chuba Hubbard is the Panthers' RB1, and he has had two good performances since Andy Dalton became the team's starting quarterback. In four games this season, Hubbard has rushed for 296 yards and a touchdown on 55 carries, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He also has 13 receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown.

Even when he is back, Brooks will likely be the team's RB2, as the team will slowly ease him back into action to avoid any other injury.

Before suffering an injury in November 2023, Brooks played in 11 games for Texas in his final year of college. In those 11 games, he rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns on 187 carries, averaging an impressive 6.1 yards per carry.

The Panthers offense has played remarkably well since switching to Dalton as their quarterback, and it will get even better once their star rookie is back on the field.

Carolina is 1-3 heading into Week 5, where they will play the Chicago Bears. The first year under Dave Canales was all about the development of young players on the team, but unfortunately, things did not work out for Bryce Young. However, the team will hope that both Jonathon Brooks and wide receiver Xavier Legette will finish this season as players they can rely on moving forward.