Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Tahj Brooks

Tuesday, July 1, 9:24 PM

The Charlotte Observer's Alex Zietlow writes that Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle will split carries with rookie Trevor Etienne as the backups to lead back Chuba Hubbard in 2025. Dowdle is coming of a 1,000-yard season with the Dallas Cowboys in his first year as a lead back, but he'll be working behind Hubbard. As the RB2 last year in Carolina, Miles Sanders only had 55 carries, although he was mostly injured and ineffective. Zietlow adds that the Panthers will want to find out what they have in Etienne before Jonathon Brooks (knee) returns in 2026. If anything, the 27-year-old Dowdle will take away valuable pass-catching opportunities from Hubbard on third downs in his first year in Carolina, but it's going to be hard to justify him as an every-week fantasy starter as long as Hubbard stays healthy. Dowdle is ranked as RotoBaller's RB50 going into the 2025 season.

Sunday, August 3, 7:18 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Tahj Brooks continues to make waves during training camp, with Chris Roling of USA Today reporting that the rookie "just keeps impressing." The Bengals held their annual night practice at Paycor Stadium in front of fans on Saturday. While there were more than a few standouts, there was no denying that Brooks was one of them after he "ripped off a few big runs." The 23-year-old was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In his final collegiate season at Texas Tech, he amassed 1,505 yards off 286 touches while finding the end zone a total of 18 times. Of course, Chase Brown is expected to get the bulk of the snaps out of the backfield. However, with the team recently releasing Zack Moss, Brooks may find himself getting more work over Samaje Perine, who the team brought back this offseason.. Although that won't make Brooks a starting fantasy option in redraft leagues, he could have increased value as an insurance policy for Chase's managers, assuming he continues to trend in the right direction heading into Week 1.