Who Should I Start? Xazavian Valladay or Jonathon Brooks

Saturday, August 23, 8:40 AM

In his first game action with the Minnesota Vikings, Xazavian Valladay led the team in rushing with 39 yards on eight carries and added one catch for two yards on Friday at Tennessee. It was a solid day for the new acquisition, who has bounced around the league since going undrafted in 2023. The Vikings have an opening for a third running back behind Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, but Valladay will have an uphill climb to make Minnesota's final 53.

Thursday, May 8, 1:14 PM

The Carolina Panthers placed running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) on the Physically Unable to Perform list on Thursday, meaning he will not play at all in the 2025 season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Brooks tore his right ACL in Week 14 of his rookie season in 2024, his second ACL tear in as many years. The 21-year-old didn't make his NFL debut until Week 12 last year and played in just three games before unfortunately suffering another ACL tear. In his three games with Carolina, the second-rounder (46th overall) out of Texas had nine carries for 22 yards and caught all three of his targets for 23 yards. It's been a tough last couple of years for Brooks, who probably will never be the same runner he was before tearing his right ACL twice. The Panthers will move forward with Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle and rookie Trevor Etienne as their RBs in 2025.