Loading...
We use cookies for analytics and advertising to keep TheFantasyPicks free. These run by default; you can opt out anytime with Reject or via Cookie Settings. See our Privacy Policy.
Player photos courtesy of ESPN.
Ranking moves, risers and fallers, and new posts. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Carolina beat Jacksonville 34-17 in Week 2 of the preseason, and the number that matters most isn't on the scoreboard. Jonathon Brooks got real touches and a rushing touchdown in his continued return from a second torn ACL, a clear step up from his cautious Week 1 debut, in a game that also settled very little at backup quarterback for either team.
Brooks carried five times for 18 yards and a touchdown, modest volume, but the progression is what matters. His Week 1 debut was just 10 cautious snaps, an early test of whether the knee could take real contact rather than a real workload; this game he got actual touches and punched one in from a yard out. Nothing here says he's back to his pre-injury form, but a healthy back getting live goal-line work is exactly the kind of trajectory you want to see from a player coming off two ACL tears.
Metchie led every receiver on the field with seven targets, turning them into six catches for 77 yards, clearly the passing game's first read regardless of who was throwing. Bryce Young's own appearance was brief and efficient: 5 of 6 for 49 yards, a 100.7 rating, exactly what you want from a starter's preseason cameo. Behind him, Kenny Pickett got the extended run (15 of 25, 137 yards, a touchdown, 88.2 rating) while Kyle Trask went a perfect 4 of 4 for 52 yards and a touchdown, a 158.3 rating on a tiny sample.
Kenny PickettIn relief for Jacksonville, Aguilar went 9 of 10 for 130 yards and a touchdown, a 152.1 rating that topped every other quarterback in the game. Nick Mullens was similarly sharp (6 of 7, 65 yards, 105.4 rating) while Carter Bradley struggled with an interception and a 24.8 rating.
Ameer AbdullahAmeer Abdullah had the most well-rounded day for Jacksonville, leading the team with six carries for 45 yards while adding three catches for 37 yards, real work as both a runner and a receiver.
Jonathon Brooks is the headline, and rightly so, because health is the entire investment thesis on a back coming off two ACL tears. The value in this game is not the eighteen rushing yards; it is the fact that the staff trusted him with live goal-line contact, a meaningful step up from a cautious debut. For dynasty and best-ball managers who are holding him, that trajectory is exactly the evidence needed to keep the stash, since a talented back regaining a real workload is one of the higher-upside bets on any bench. He is not a plug-and-play starter yet, but the arrow is pointing the right way.
The quieter Carolina story is John Metchie III, who led every receiver on the field in targets and turned them into a clean, efficient line. Being the clear first read regardless of which quarterback is throwing is the trait that survives a muddy depth chart, and Bryce Young's short, sharp cameo is a reassuring backdrop for anyone betting on the Panthers passing game to take a step. Metchie is a deeper-league name to monitor as the target hierarchy firms up.
Jonathon Brooks' health is the single most important storyline in this game for real dynasty and best ball value, and it's trending in the right direction. Check the rookie rankings to see where Brooks currently sits, and run Carolina's crowded QB room through the mock draft simulator if you're trying to figure out how the Pickett-Trask competition should affect your board. Full box score: ESPN.
