Team news: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers are placing running back Chuba Hubbard (calf/knee) on injured reserve.

With only two weeks left in the season, this obviously ends Hubbard’s season. At 4-11, the Panthers are looking ahead to next season and protecting their big-money running back. Raheem Blackshear and Velus Jones are next up on the depth chart. Jonathan Brooks also landed on injured reserve a few weeks ago after re-tearing his ACL in Week 14 against the Eagles.

Panthers WR Xavier Legette will be week to week the rest of the season with a groin injury.

Coach Dave Canales said Legette is likely to be out this week, and the week to week tag for the rest of the season doesn't really bode well for him or his fantasy owners. Legette hasn't been a solid fantasy play anyway but for those using him in deeper leagues you may be without him for the rest of this year.

There hasn’t been much to like about the Jaguars this season, but wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is at the top of that small list.

Thomas was a first-round pick in April and he’s lived up to that status over the course of his rookie season. Thomas caught 10 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns during Sunday’s 32-25 loss to the Jets and that gave him the franchise’s rookie records for both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Head coach Doug Pederson said as the season progressed, the team could see that Thomas could handle more information, and that he could handle more responsibility. Each week, the Jags were finding ways to load him up with more responsibility. Thomas looks like he's the real deal and it doesn't matter who is under center. For the season, Thomas has 64 catches for 956 yards and 8 TDs with 99 targets.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales gave an update on running back Jonathon Brooks’s knee injury at his Monday press conference and it was not a positive one.

Canales said that Brooks tore the ACL in his right knee during Sunday’s 22-16 loss to the Eagles. Brooks tore the same ACL during his final season at Texas and the second-round pick was playing in his third game after being activated from the non-football injury list.

Related players: Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, Raheem Blackshear, Mike Boone

It's a terrible outcome for what many considered the top RB back at the NFL Draft. Brooks will look to be back before the start of next season, but given how careful the Panthers were with Brooks coming into this season, one can assume they will take a similar path. As the story said, Hubbard went over 1,000 yards against the Eagles, and with Sanders already injured and Blackshear injured during the game, Hubbard was forced to carry the load. He should continue to do so for the rest of the season. The team has Boone on the practice squad, but will likely need to make anther move at the position.

Ja'Tavion Sanders is ready to go Sunday. Jadeveon Clowney should play too, per Canales.

Related Players: Tommy Tremble

Great news for the rookie, but it does muck up a pretty great situation for TE streaming purposes. Tremble was an interesting target in deep leagues, but the two will likely cap the fantasy aspirations of the other. Keep Sanders in mind for a nice matchup against the Cowboys in Week 15.

WR Jalen Coker is doubtful for Sunday.

Related Players: Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, David Moore

The rookie had some decent games heading into the team's Week 11 bye, but hasn't been able to see the field in the two weeks since. He's a safe drop in most every league size but remains an interesting Dynasty hold as we look ahead to 2025.

Panthers coach Dave Canales says running back Jonathon Brooks is good to go Sunday for his NFL debut.

Related Players: Chuba Hubbard

The wait is over, but we're still not certain how much of a role he will play in Week 12, or the rest of the season for that matter. Continue to consider Hubbard an RB2 as we take a wait-and-see approach with Brooks' fantasy relevancy.

Panthers expect to get Adam Thielen back this week.

Related players: Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, David Moore

Thielen has missed all this time with a hamstring injury but looks like he'll be back in a game against the Chiefs. The team announced Bryce Young as the starting QB, but either way, it will be tough to trust Thielen in fantasy lineups in his first game back in a tough matchup. Thielen could have some value in deeper leagues if he's still on your wire, but the Panthers may want to get more looks from their younger WRs. It's best to take the "wait-and-see" approach with Thielen this week.

Canales says he “fully expect(s)” Jonathon Brooks to play this week.

Related players: Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, Raheem Blackshear

However, Canales added they still need to go through the week of work. The team doesn't expect Sanders (foot/ankle) to play, after we last saw him get carted off the field in Germany in Week 10. Brooks should back up Hubbard this week against the Chiefs, and it seems likely the team may ease Brooks into action after waiting this long to get him into his first game. It should be a tough go against the Chiefs and with the team likely playing from behind, it seems like Hubbard and Blackshear could see work on passing downs as the Panthers try to play catch-up. It's probably best to take the "wait-and-see" approach with Brooks.

Bryce Young will start at QB vs. the Chiefs, per Panthers HC Dave Canales.

Related players: Andy Dalton

Young has been decent enough to help the Panthers win their last two games, Week 9 over the Saints and Week 10 in Germany over the Giants. In that two-game span Young has thrown for 297 yards with two TDs and just one INT. But it's a much tougher test coming in Week 12 against the Chiefs, and to make it worse KC is coming off its first loss of the season. It won't get much easier for Young after that assuming he remains the starter, hosting the Bucs and then traveling to the Eagles in Week 14. The team gets the Cowboys at home in Week 15 and the Cardinals at home in Week 16 before traveling to Tampa in Week 17 and then to Atlanta in Week 18. It just makes sense for the Panthers to see what kind of progress Young can make for the rest of the season.