Who Should I Start? Ty Johnson or Jonathon Brooks

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
4.9 13.2 0.1 1.2 11.9 0.1

Ty Johnson News

Ty Johnson Offers Little Fantasy Value in His Change-of-Pace Role

Sunday, July 26, 6:38 AM

Even as his teammate James Cook III has developed into one of the league's true bell cow runners, veteran running back Ty Johnson has maintained an important change-of-pace role, seeing at least 40 carries and 25 targets in each of the past two seasons. While Cook's spot atop the depth chart makes it difficult for any other Buffalo running back to accumulate stats, Johnson's comfort in the passing game could lead to limited fantasy viability should an injury force him into a larger role in 2026. That said, in such a scenario, it would likely be third-year back Ray Davis serving as more of a direct handcuff to Cook, making the soon-to-be-29-year-old Johnson difficult to trust even with a clearing ahead of him. With a lack of standalone value and no obvious path to a substantially increased workload, Johnson is not a player that fantasy drafters will need to consider in 2026.

START

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
7.2 33.7 0.2 1.3 9.7 0.1

Jonathon Brooks News

Jonathon Brooks Won't Play in Hall of Fame Game

Tuesday, August 4, 8:38 AM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that running back Jonathon Brooks will not play in Canton, Ohio, in Thursday's Hall of Fame preseason game versus the Arizona Cardinals, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. The Panthers aren't planning on playing their starters to open the preseason slate, and it makes all the sense in the world not to put Brooks in harm's way when considering his history of knee injuries. The 23-year-old former second-rounder in 2024 from the University of Texas has played in only three games for the Panthers due to two torn ACLs. The Texas native is fully healthy this summer, though, and heads into his third NFL campaign as the favorite for change-of-pace duties behind Chuba Hubbard in Carolina. Hubbard will most likely continue to serve as the team's RB1, but Brooks has been impressive so far in camp and could cut into his overall touches, making him an intriguing late-round flier at the position, especially if you have Hubbard rostered. RotoBaller has Brooks ranked as the No. 40 fantasy RB for 2026.

Ty Johnson vs. Jonathon Brooks

Still trying to decide between Johnson and Brooks? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Ty Johnson is projected to score 4.9 points this week while Jonathon Brooks is projected to score 7.2 points.