The Carolina Panthers have just about finalized all of the 53-man roster decisions going into the start of the regular season and in the backfield, the team opted to keep three backs after placing Trevor Etienne on the IR: Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks, and AJ Dillon.

All three backs bring a different style to the team’s backfield, which will add even more frustrations for fantasy football managers out there trying to get a piece of this pie.

So, let’s break down what this backfield split could actually look like going into Week 1 and how latest injury news could play a major role.

Chuba Hubbard is back at practice and primed for a lead role in the Panthers’ backfield

Make no mistake about it, Chuba Hubbard is the lead back for this offense, despite all of the hype surrounding Jonathon Brooks’ return this offseason. Hubbard was sidelined for the last few weeks of camp/preseason with a hamstring injury but he was back at practice this week and expected to be full go for the season opener.

“He’s expected to be ready for Week 1,” head coach Dave Canales said of Hubbard last week. “I think he hit over 20 miles per hour the other day. But, that’s in a controlled setting. Right now, we didn’t want to put him back out there. He’s not ready for someone to pull on his jersey and for him to pull through that. But he’s ahead of schedule.”

The Panthers view Hubbard as one of the top leaders on this team and one of the top offensive weapons when he’s fully healthy. The other critical factor here is that Hubbard is accustomed to handling the workload for all four quarters of a live game.

“If Hubbard stays healthy, he’s the one in whom they’ve built up more trust, so I’d expect him to be the one the Panthers lean on to try to grind out games when they have the lead,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano said. “The split should be pretty close, but it would not be a surprise at all to get to the end of the season and see that Hubbard got the majority of the work.”

Jonathon Brooks still has one last hurdle he still needs to clear

First and foremost, it’s worth noting that Brooks has been on the sideline through two days of practice this week with Hubbard back out there on the field.

“JB’s got a little soreness. I won’t get into specifics right now,” Canales told reporters on Tuesday.

There might not be concerns after Canales revealed why Brooks is currently sidelined and added he’s very optimistic about his Week 1 status, but perhaps there should be some concern about him. As good as Brooks has looked in practice this offseason, we haven’t really seen it in a game setting.

Brooks played just 20 snaps in the preseason with nine total touches. It was his first live game action since 2024 and who knows if he’s ready to play a full game come Week 1. And the fact he’s dealing with “soreness” right now adds even more to that concern. With that being a reality, the Panthers will be careful with Brooks’ workload early in the season.

“We’ll definitely roll it out like we have been where you’ll have a lead back for the series and the other guy comes in on third-down,” Canales said when asked about the RB split. “Those are good opportunities to keep a guy in the game… But whoever the lead guy for those base downs is, they’ll get the bulk of that rhythm.”

Early in the season, it’s easy to see how that “lead guy” will be Hubbard until Brooks can fully get his feet back under him again.

Where AJ Dillon fits into this equation

The real interesting player to watch in this conversation is AJ Dillon, who looked strong during the preseason as a runner, receiver, pass-blocker, and special teamer. The veteran more than earned his spot on this roster and it shouldn’t stop there.

When Dillon was originally signed, the expectation was that he could be a guy that could handle short-yardage and goal-line situations that the Panthers previously struggled with on offense. But, it’s clear now he can bring much more to the table.

“I think AJ’s definitely going to help us out this year,” GM Dan Morgan said on Tuesday. “We’re really excited about what he brought to us in the preseason. Catching the ball, protecting, the way he ran the ball. He looked really good out there and a guy that’s definitely going to help us throughout the year. I think he’s a capable starter. He’s a guy that’s not only our third running back, but I think he can play for a lot of teams. He’s big, he’s physical, he’s a bruiser, he’s hard to tackle, he’s not the type of guy that linebackers and safeties want to tackle all game when he’s running downhill at you.”

Do not forget about Dillon in this backfield equation. He will certainly be a player the Panthers mix in to wear opposing defenses down and the kind of back you want for the long haul of a season. And he can be used on any down or situation.

So, for fans or fantasy football managers wanting a clear answer on how this backfield will work in 2026, I don’t think there is one. All three backs will be involved in some capacity and the lingering hurdle with Brooks is still one worth watching carefully going into Week 1.