Jonathon Brooks

Panthers coach Dave Canales said Jonathon Brooks is “absolutely” playing in Week 12 against the Chiefs.

Brooks will make his long-awaited debut on Sunday against the Chiefs. Once thought to have a chance to be ready for Week 1, the rookie has spent nearly a year recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last November while playing with the Texans Longhorns. It goes without saying that Brooks will eat into Chuba Hubbard’s workload going forward, but for now, we can only speculate on how much work he’ll see early on and how fast his role will grow. Like Hubbard, Brooks is a do-it-all back who can help the Panthers on all three downs. Fantasy managers eager to start Brooks should give it at least one week. If you’re forced to start him due to a brutal bye week, expectations should be tempered.