The Carolina Panthers will face the New York Giants in Week 10. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Jonathon Brooks.
Is Jonathon Brooks Playing in Week 10?
The Carolina Panthers activated second-round RB Jonathon Brooks from the non-football injury (NFI) list on Wednesday.
The Texas product is a year removed from tearing his ACL and could make his debut in Week 10. Brooks fully practiced all week, but head coach Dave Canales still said it’s only a “possibility” that the rookie will face the Giants in Germany on Sunday.
Had the Panthers not activated Brooks this week, he would’ve remained on the NFI list for the rest of the season. Chuba Hubbard has thrived as Carolina’s starting running back and earned a four-year extension this week.
We’ll continue to monitor the Panthers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Jonathon Brooks’ Fantasy Outlook
The window is open for the rookie to make his return, and that’s promising. Less promising is the trajectory of this Carolina team and its motivation to ask Jonathon Brooks to carry this backfield the way patient fantasy managers would like.
Brooks needs to be activated this week in order for him to get any reps this season, so I fully expect him to dress, but you’d have to be in full desperation mode to look this way with more risk than reward in his immediate profile.
We’ve seen talented running backs make a big impact in our fantasy world despite playing for an objectively bad team (Tank Bigsby, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Chuba Hubbard, to name a few), and that means I’m leaving the dimmest of lights on for Brooks in redraft formats However, my touch expectations are limited for the rest of the season until I’m convinced otherwise, and that is going to result in him ranking well outside of my top 30 at the position.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 10 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jonathon Brooks’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 10
Since Brooks is out, he has 0 projected points.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insights on New York Giants’ Defense
The New York Giants run of three straight top-10 defensive performances came to a screeching halt at the hands of Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders.
That Washington offense has had their number a little this season, as they ranked 21st defensively in Week 2 and 28th in Week 9. They were not bad in either game, but they just could not prevent the Commanders from making plays when it counted.
This Giants defensive unit would be a perfect complement to an above-average offense. They are fifth in red-zone efficiency this season and lead the league in sack rate.
This group is made to be on a team defending a lead, but their pitiful offense has meant that is not the case. Hopefully, this defense can be an anchor point to build a team around, but even then, they still need to make some run-game improvements on defense.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Jonathon Brooks’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:45 AM ET on Wednesday, December 25. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. DAL)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at SF)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (at HOU)
4) Bijan Robinson | ATL (at WAS)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (at MIN)
6) De'Von Achane | MIA (at CLE)
7) Jonathan Taylor | IND (at NYG)
8) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. DEN)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (vs. ARI)
10) James Conner | ARI (at LAR)
11) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. CAR)
12) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (at TB)
13) James Cook | BUF (vs. NYJ)
14) Breece Hall | NYJ (at BUF)
15) Joe Mixon | HOU (vs. BAL)
16) Aaron Jones | MIN (vs. GB)
17) Jerome Ford | CLE (vs. MIA)
18) Tony Pollard | TEN (at JAX)
19) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. ATL)
20) D'Andre Swift | CHI (vs. SEA)
21) Rico Dowdle | DAL (at PHI)
22) Isaac Guerendo | SF (vs. DET)
23) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. LAC)
24) Rachaad White | TB (vs. CAR)
25) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (vs. IND)
26) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at CHI)
27) Alexander Mattison | LV (at NO)
28) Isiah Pacheco | KC (at PIT)
29) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at JAX)
30) Kendre Miller | NO (vs. LV)
31) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
32) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. KC)
33) Javonte Williams | DEN (at CIN)
34) Justice Hill | BAL (at HOU)
35) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. KC)
36) Gus Edwards | LAC (at NE)
37) Tank Bigsby | JAX (vs. TEN)
38) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at NO)
39) Kareem Hunt | KC (at PIT)
40) Devin Singletary | NYG (vs. IND)
41) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (at WAS)
42) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at NE)
43) Audric Estimé | DEN (at CIN)
44) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at CLE)
45) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. NYJ)
46) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. LAC)
47) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. DAL)
48) Craig Reynolds | DET (at SF)
49) Cam Akers | MIN (vs. GB)
50) Ty Johnson | BUF (vs. NYJ)
51) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. ARI)
52) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (vs. DET)
53) Roschon Johnson | CHI (vs. SEA)
54) Braelon Allen | NYJ (at BUF)
55) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. ATL)
56) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (at CIN)
57) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (at BUF)
58) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (vs. MIA)
59) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. KC)
60) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. LV)
61) Emanuel Wilson | GB (at MIN)
62) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at LAR)
63) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (at HOU)
64) Chris Brooks | GB (at MIN)
65) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (vs. MIA)
66) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (vs. DET)
67) Trey Benson | ARI (at LAR)
68) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (at CHI)
69) Michael Carter | ARI (at LAR)
70) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. CAR)
71) Samaje Perine | KC (at PIT)
72) Israel Abanikanda | SF (vs. DET)
73) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (at PHI)
74) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. DEN)
75) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (vs. BAL)
76) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at CLE)
77) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (vs. DET)
78) Trey Sermon | IND (at NYG)
79) Mike Boone | CAR (at TB)
80) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (vs. ATL)
81) Dameon Pierce | HOU (vs. BAL)
82) Sione Vaki | DET (at SF)
83) Hunter Luepke | DAL (at PHI)
84) Alec Ingold | MIA (at CLE)
85) Tyler Goodson | IND (at NYG)
New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers Insights
New York Giants
Team: New York is averaging just 2.78 plays of 20-plus yards this season (28th, ranking just behind Carolina’s 2.89 per game).
QB: In a limited offense, the “layups” have to overachieve, and that didn’t happen on Sunday against the Commanders. Yes, Daniel Jones completed 13-of-16 short passes, but those plays gained a total of just 46 yards – in essence, they were no better than handoffs that come with more risk because you’re putting the ball in the air.
Offense: The Giants are averaging a league-worst 5.1 yards per play on first down this season (since 2013, only the 2015 San Diego Chargers and the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles have posted lower marks for a season).
Defense: The Giants own the highest sack rate in the league (12.3%).
Fantasy: Five times this season has a rookie receiver played 70% of the snaps and been targeted on at least one-third of his route:
- Malik Nabers (Week 2 at Commanders)
- Malik Nabers (Week 3 at Browns)
- Malik Nabers (Week 4 vs. Cowboys)
- Brian Thomas Jr. (Week 4 at Texans)
- Malik Nabers (Week 9 vs. Commanders)
Betting: Pick a side and commit – seven of New York’s past 10 road games have seen the spread (in one direction or another) be covered by at least a dozen points.
Carolina Panthers
Team: Carolina is being out-scored by 16.2 points per game, the third worst mark through nine weeks over the past decade (2020 Jets: -16.3, 2019 Dolphins: -19.1).
QB: When throwing the ball 10-plus yards down the field this season, Bryce Young has completed just 20-of-51 passes (39.2%) with one touchdown against six interceptions.
Offense: We thought last season was rock bottom? Through nine weeks, Carolina is averaging 5.5 fewer yards of offense per game this season than last.
Defense: The Panthers have allowed the second-highest opponent passer rating through nine weeks (111.2).
Fantasy: Not only does Jonathon Brooks loom, but defenses are wising up to the Chuba Hubbard strength of this offense – in Weeks 8-9, 50% of his carries came against a loaded box (Weeks 5-7: 18.8%).
Betting: Underdogs have failed to cover four of the past five Sunday morning games.