Who Should I Start? Carson Steele or Jonathon Brooks

Monday, January 6, 4:42 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Carson Steele handled eight carries for 25 yards and two catches for two yards in the 0-38 loss to the Denver Broncos. Steele was the clear lead back for the Chiefs, but he could not do much with his opportunities. The rookie out of UCLA stepped into the lead role with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt ruled out for this game. Steele averaged just 3.1 yards per carry, but no other Chief carried the ball multiple times in this contest. The next time the Chiefs suit up will be against the winner of the wild card matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans. Steele will likely be relegated to his RB3 role when the Chiefs play their next game.

Tuesday, February 11, 10:19 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) will miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season after his second ACL tear in 2024 as a rookie. In addition to Brooks, the Panthers are expected to cut running back Miles Sanders. It's why The Athletic's Joseph Person has the Panthers taking SMU RB Brashard Smith with a fifth-round selection in his 2025 mock draft. Smith could be a nice change-of-pace option behind starter Chuba Hubbard next year in the Panthers' backfield. The 21-year-old Brooks can be avoided in all single-year fantasy drafts this fall after suffering a gruesome injury in his first year in the NFL. Brooks could have a lengthier recovery after already tearing the same ACL in his final collegiate season at the University of Texas. In three games in 2024, Brooks had nine carries for 22 yards and caught all three of his targets for 23 yards.