This is set to be Jonathon Brooks’ real chance to make an impact in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers.
With Rico Dowdle gone, the RB depth chart in Carolina has plenty of room for Brooks to be a key contributor. He’s been a trendy draft pick in fantasy football, and he’s still young enough that it’s easy to dream on him achieving big things for the Panthers.
The season is just about here, too. The Panthers begin the campaign in Week 1 on Sunday, Sept. 13, less than a week away.
If Brooks is going to grab the league’s attention, it could start as soon as this week.
Well, that is if Brooks is healthy.
He’s been dealing with an injury, and it throws his playing status a bit into question with the first kickoff of the Panthers’ campaign only five days away.
Is Jonathon Brooks Playing in Week 1?
There’s no way to know for sure whether Brooks is playing in Week 1, but it’s not a sure thing as of Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The biggest negative in Brooks’ outlook is that when the Panthers practiced on Monday, Brooks was reportedly off to the side with a trainer rather than participating in practice.
There’s still almost a whole week for that to change, and if Carolina had a bit of concern, it’d make sense to be cautious early in the week before ramping things up later in the week.
Still, a player not taking part in practice less than a week before the first game is a reason to have at least a little bit of pause.
Why is Jonathon Brooks Questionable?
While Brooks is listed as questionable on platforms like ESPN Fantasy Football, it’s worth noting that that isn’t yet an official designation.
The Panthers’ first injury report of the season will come out on Wednesday. That’ll be the strongest indication yet of Brooks’ status.
He’ll either be listed as a full participant, a limited participant or a did not practice. The Panthers can also start to give out injury designations as the week goes along.
Websites appear to have the injury marker next to Brooks’ name because he missed practice in the first week of September. At the time, the Panthers referred to Brooks’ issue as “soreness.”
Brooks has had an ACL injury in the same knee two years in a row, though, so if the injury report informs the public that Brooks is dealing with a knee issue, that raises the level of concern.
Chuba Hubbard is certainly capable of leading the Panthers’ backfield if needed, but those excited about Brooks will be watching the injury report closely when it finally comes out on Wednesday.
Is Jonathon Brooks Playing in Week 1? Panthers Injury News Is Questionable