Chuba

Hubbard

Hubbard and the Panthers’ were unable to get anything going on the ground, with he and Rico Dowdle combining for a total of 20 yards in the contest. The 26-year-old finished with just over 500 yards on the season, and was clearly usurped by Rico Dowdle in the regular season. That likely will remain the case if the Panthers advance to the postseason, and they’ll need a win from the Falcons over the Saints to reach that level.

With the game tied 3-3 in the third quarter, Hubbard’s fumble came one play after Sam Darnold tossed a red zone interception. He touched the ball only two times thereafter, but it would be a stretch to say he was benched. For the game, he was out-touched 15-7 by Rico Dowdle. Rico should remain the 1A back for next weekend’s colossal tilt with the Bucs.

Hubbard continues to play second fiddle to Rico Dowdle, seeing seven touches to Dowdle’s 13. His first carry came in the red zone, where he rushed for a loss of two yards. With Dowdle also getting work in the two-minute drill and passing game, it is difficult to find a path to fantasy usage for Hubbard. He is a risky FLEX play for Week 17 against the Seahawks.

Hubbard was seemingly headed toward a featured role after RB Rico Dowdle was escorted off the field by Panthers trainers, but Dowdle returned after a few plays, in time to score a touchdown. Hubbard was then stuck in his rotational role. He had a nice first-down gain on the Panthers’ fourth drive, traversing the field after securing a screen pass on 3rd-and-7. He is just a low-floor FLEX against the Buccaneers next week.

As the Panthers head into their bye week, Canales said he “likes” the backfield balance the team struck in Week 13’s upset of the Rams, when Dowdle saw 18 rushes to 17 carries for Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard, fully recovered from a calf injury, ran 15 pass routes against LA — catching a touchdown on two grabs — while Dowdle logged six routes and caught both of his targets. “Some of it was third-down opportunities. We’ve been using Chuba primarily as our third-down back, and then he gets series as we go,” Canales said. With his pass game involvement reduced to almost nothing, Dowdle will be a low-ceiling, touchdown-dependent RB3 when the Panthers return from bye in Week 15. Hubbard, meanwhile, will have some value in deeper PPR formats.

The 19 touches Hubbard saw in this one marked his most since Week 3. He entered the day with a combined 21 touches in his previous four games. Hubbard out-gained Rico Dowdle by 45 yards while also being the only back to score in this one. Hubbard took a short pass behind the line of scrimmage for a 35-yard touchdown on the Panthers’ first offensive drive to tie the game at 7-7, and continued to rotate in with Dowdle for the remainder of the day. A rain-soaked game likely impacted the Panthers’ decision to run it 40 times in Sunday’s win, but head coach Dave Canales clearly set out to get Hubbard going early. Until we can be certain this is the new norm for Hubbard, fantasy managers should approach him with caution when the Panthers return in Week 15 to face the Saints in what admittedly feels like a smash spot for the Carolina run game.

Hubbard continued to play well behind starter Rico Dowdle in this one, with three of his four receptions coming on one drive in the third quarter. He now has five or fewer carries in four consecutive games after Dowdle reclaimed the lead back role, not nearly enough to warrant fantasy consideration on a weekly basis.

Hubbard missed two games due to a calf injury he suffered prior to Week 5. He has not been efficient since returning, losing his lead back role to Rico Dowdle and averaging under 4.0 yards per carry since Week 7. Via Kassidy Hill on the Panthers’ team website, Hubbard said he “maybe rushed it back a little sooner.” The 26-year-old was paid like the team’s lead back at the beginning of the season but the veteran Dowdle has outplayed him as Hubbard deals with his calf injury. For the rest of this season, Hubbard is an RB4 at best.

Rico Dowdle ran 19 times and caught five passes on seven targets. Hubbard has seen five or fewer touches in three straight games. He is a distant backup to Dowdle amidst the latter’s late-career breakout. Fantasy managers don’t need to hold Hubbard into Week 12.

Hubbard is now firmly behind Rico Dowdle in the Panthers’ running back room. Dowdle vastly out-touched Hubbard for the second week in a row. Hubbard somewhat curiously was on the field for one of the biggest plays of the game. His lone catch came on a fourth-and-two with less than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, but he gained only one yard. It would take a Dowdle injury for Hubbard to regain his standing in this backfield and some semblance of fantasy value this year.