NFL training camps have only recently opened and the Hall of Fame game is still more than a week away, so we do not yet have any logical reasons for fantasy ADPs to substantially shift. But swings in fantasy value are often driven by factors unrelated to logic.We’ve entered the dangerous weeks in which camp vibes, coach quotes and viral practice highlights will rewrite draft boards. It probably should not be happening on July 28, but here we are.Which brings us to the Jonathon Brooks situation. Until last week, Brooks had simply been a mid-to-late draft lottery ticket. An unlikely flier. He was the RB38 in May and June NFFC drafts with an ADP well outside the top-100 picks.In drafts over the past five days, however, Brooks has jumped to RB28. All it took was a little light activity at Carolina Panthers camp and general positivity from his head coach.
Your first look at Jonathon Brooks in @Panthers training camp 👇
Coach Dave Canales on what he saw from Brooks today: “He looks like the guy that I remember.” pic.twitter.com/q4FnYQycCG
— Caroline Soro (@caroline_soro) July 24, 2026Brooks is suddenly going two spots ahead of presumptive starter Chuba Hubbard, who’s dropped to RB30. He’s only one spot behind Jaylen Warren, a guy who delivered 1,291 scrimmage yards and eight scores just last season.If you think I’m about to tell you this Brooks surge is flagrantly wrong … well, yeah, it probably is. I hate to be a fantasy buzzkill, but this seems like an example of questionable process and irrational exuberance. Brooks is returning from a second surgical repair of his right ACL, which, historically, is at least one too many. If he can recapture his collegiate form, he will be an all-time outlier. We simply do not have many examples of NFL players returning to high-level play following multiple tears of the same ACL.Of course, Panthers fans are already familiar with one such success story, possibly the only of its kind. Linebacker Thomas Davis made multiple Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro recognition after tearing his right ACL in three consecutive seasons — one of the more remarkable comebacks the league has produced. Davis provides proof-of-concept for Brooks and a legitimate reason for hope — anyone who isn’t a monster should be rooting for an injured player’s full recovery.Hope is not a super effective draft strategy, however. Brooks has bubbled up into an ADP range in which, ideally, we need to be selecting players who will start for our teams in the opening weeks. If Brooks can just carve out a meaningful early-season supporting role alongside Hubbard, that would be a phenomenal outcome. Again, history of a running back successfully doing what he’s attempting to do is non-existent.
