# Mike Moraitis: Moraitis expects Chuba Hubbard to open 2026 as Carolina's lead back with Jonathon Brooks heavily involved in a near-even timeshare, and sees Brooks' upside giving him a chance to eventually take over the backfield. **Claimed:** Aug 2, 2026 **Pundit:** Mike Moraitis — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/mike-moraitis **Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/sports-illustrated **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/panthers/onsi/analyzing-panthers-chuba-hubbard-jonathon-brooks-fantasy-football 3 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls and 1 sleeper call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 1. > Hubbard should be considered the favorite to lead the Panthers' backfield out of the gate, but we fully believe Brooks is going to be involved from the get-go with a fairly even split of touches. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Jonathon Brooks to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jonathon Brooks to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Chuba Hubbard to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Jonathon Brooks — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/jonathon-brooks - Carolina Panthers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/panthers - Chuba Hubbard — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/chuba-hubbard ## What others said about the same people - AJ Hawk on Carolina Panthers: AJ Hawk picked the Ravens over the Colts, Carolina to beat Chicago outright, the Bills at Houston, the Bengals over Tampa Bay, the Titans over the Jets, the Raiders over Miami, the Packers at Minnesota and the Cowboys over the Giants. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/74f9146c-d27f-4851-b8a4-4103d043308f (scored 0) - Brady Quinn on Carolina Panthers: In the show's Week 1 picks-against-the-spread segment, Quinn took the Steelers over the Falcons, the Panthers at home over the Bears, the Bengals over the Buccaneers, the Texans at home over the Bills, and the Cowboys on the road over the Giants. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/696da78f-ea04-4f40-9242-4fb9a3f93d91 (scored 0) - Tyler Sullivan on Carolina Panthers: An unsigned CBS Sports piece flags five Week 1 underdogs as upset candidates: the 49ers over the Rams in Melbourne, the Texans over the Bills, the Panthers over the Bears, the Jets over the Titans, and the Broncos over the Chiefs on Monday night. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cd6c3269-8c90-4044-9c48-0b1fc3537699 (scored 0) - John Pluym on Carolina Panthers: Pluym's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/e7e5c159-21f2-4766-92de-857294ef51cf (scored 0) - Zach Roberts on Isaiah Simmons: Roberts projects the Carolina Panthers' 53-man roster following the Hall of Fame Game, naming every player he expects to make the team at each position, and pegs AJ Dillon as the fourth running back on the depth chart. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/eef72be3-9114-401b-a6e8-2ffc335cc7fb (scored 100) - Nathan Jahnke on Feleipe Franks: An unsigned PFF preseason recap makes numerous depth-chart, roster and usage projections across the league, based on Week 3 preseason playing time — including Roman Wilson winning Pittsburgh's third receiver job, Luke McCaffrey's roster spot being in danger, Charlie Kolar as the Chargers' top tight end, and Kendre Miller as the Saints' RB2. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/47566b48-8024-4960-b25c-11c03fe43543 (scored 100) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Tyler Sullivan on Drew Lock: In an unsigned Week 2 odds roundup, the piece states that with Sam Darnold hurt, Drew Lock will likely start at quarterback for Seattle against Arizona. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8a14b5e6-066b-457f-b409-a3ddbd512aca (scored 0) - Ralph Vacchiano on Tua Tagovailoa: Vacchiano ranks all 32 NFL teams entering the 2026 season, with the Rams first and Dolphins last. He also flags the Giants as a potential surprise team with a top-10 defense, and notes Deshaun Watson won Cleveland's QB job while Tua Tagovailoa starts Week 1 in Atlanta. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/6f782be9-64d3-47cf-b054-6566e14194d6 (scored 0) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice touts Kyler Murray as a value QB who will start Week 1 for Minnesota, Tyler Shough as the Saints' undisputed starter, and Juwan Johnson and Terrance Ferguson as late-round tight end targets. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/70a7844a-2fb6-44d7-814f-30ec9fbcc26d (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to be Minnesota's Week 1 starter and calls him one of the better quarterback values in 2026 drafts; he also views Jordan Love as a top-10 real-life quarterback but only a QB2 in fantasy. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0653fc24-437c-4aba-89ee-f1f417e1983d (scored 100) - Steven Ruiz on Michael Penix Jr.: In a retrospective tiering of all 32 starting quarterbacks, Ruiz treats Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons' Week 1 starter over Kirk Cousins, whom he places in his lowest tier. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/968b3764-11ef-41b5-a370-ff570b3219d1 (scored 0) - Mike Florio on Shedeur Sanders: Florio reports the Browns will start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 but predicts Shedeur Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback by Week 3. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cf6258b2-b55f-4f50-84f9-24269a5a006a (scored 0) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/corrections?pundit=mike-moraitis