While Wolfe is very bullish on Jonathon Brooks, the Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye thinks Chuba Hubbard “can still be a workhorse,” but he will likely lose touches as the season progresses. The concern for fantasy gamers is Brooks is essentially a walking medical case study after consecutive ACL tears completely wiped out his 2025 season.
Brooks’ talent is undeniable, flashing a 75th-percentile 6.1 College Yards Per Carry and an elite 41.7-percent Juke Rate in his microscopic three-game rookie sample. If he can stay on the field through training camp, his draft capital and underlying profile make him the ultimate high-variance stash to target late in drafts.
Hubbard has also been productive when healthy, and best ball enthusiasts clearly need exposure to this backfield at current ADP valuations. Outside best ball, this situation is the strongest case for handcuffing running backs, especially in fantasy football dynasty leagues.
Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard has seen his ...
After logging 1,366 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns in ...
Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard opened the ...
The Panthers’ choice to replace Rico Dowdle with only AJ Dillon suggests confidence in Jonathon Brooks’ ability to contribute behind starter Chuba Hubbard in 2026.
While Brooks will compete with Trevor Etienne for snaps, his outlook is clouded by a difficult recovery from two ACL tears. Because of these recurring injuries, fantasy football managers are maintaining a skeptical approach toward his value this season. Now is the time to acquire Brooks in dynasty leagues before the athletic workhorse back secures a key role in the offense.
Jonathon Brooks is essentially a walking medical case study at this point, returning from back-to-back ACL reconstructions that completely vaporized his 2025 season and cratered his dynasty value. While his 6.1 College Yards Per Carry (75th-percentile) and 22.5-percent College Dominator Rating suggest a potential workhorse, Brooks is currently buried in a backfield committee behind high-volume starter Chuba Hubbard and the dynamic Trevor Etienne.
Dave Canales has transformed Carolina’s running game into an efficiency machine, and at just 22 years old, Brooks has quickly become the sneakiest stash in all of dynasty. Bottom line: Brooks is an excellent late-round stash for fantasy gamers soaking up high-stakes variance.
Head coach Dave Canales of the Carolina Panthers confirmed on Friday that the ‘exceptional’ Rico Dowdle is going to be more involved. Namely, Dowdle will assume the lead back role over the previous starter, Chuba Hubbard.
The two have alternated reps since Hubbard’s return from injury. Neither one jumped off the page, though Dowdle’s efficiency, which was his hallmark during Hubbard’s absence, remained high. Presumably, that was a large factor in making the shift. Dowdle’s reward in the starting gig is a date at Lambeau Field with the Packers. Green Bay has one of the top defensive units against the run this season.
Hubbard will remain a part of the offensive game plan; to what degree is unknown. Fantasy managers who currently roster Dowdle can continue running him out as a back-end RB1 this week. Hubbard managers might be wise to avoid the matchup in Week 9 until there is a better understanding of his utilization and against a lesser front seven.
Author: Samwise (@BuyAndSellYou)
It seems that the shared running back duties of Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle will stay in place for the Carolina Panthers. Head coach Dave Canales expressed admiration for what the duo accomplished on Sunday, when Hubbard returned from a two-game absence.
“It felt great for me to know, whoever I was calling the run for, I expect great execution out of these guys…”, he said.
While coach Canales stopped short of saying that there would be an even split of the carries as the season progresses, he declined to give a definitive answer. He said he liked the way the rotation of Hubbard (14 carries, two receptions) and Dowdle (17 carries, one reception) worked for the team with differing styles. Each is coming off seasons that broke the 1,000-yard milestone, with the former gaining 1,195 yards en route to a new contract with the Panthers, and the latter rushing for 1,079 with the Cowboys before signing with Carolina as a free agent.
Fantasy football managers were banging the table for Dowdle to take over the lead role after he amassed 473 yards from scrimmage (7.5 yards per carry) and a pair of touchdowns in the two tilts that Hubbard (calf strain) sat out. For his part, Hubbard had just 311 scrimmage yards in four games (4.2 YPC). Numbers aside, Dowdle looked infinitely more explosive than Hubbard has this season and seemed to run with purpose. Distant RB3, rookie Trevor Etienne, actually doubled his own touches during the two games that Dowdle was the “man in charge.”
What does it mean for the remainder of the 2025 season? Fantasy managers will keep a watchful eye on one of their RB1s as he begins this chapter of sharing the workload. He has the benefit of loyalty from the franchise and a new contract, but the fact remains that at this time, Dowdle is more suited for the starting role. Managers who had Dowdle stashed or beat everyone to the waiver wire will likely be laughing all the way to the bank, as it would appear that Hubbard’s touches will likely dwindle during the next several games.
Neither of the two can currently be trusted for touches or goal-line work in the meantime, although the sheer number of injuries at the position (combined with bye weeks) means many fantasy managers will be forced to play them and cross their fingers until one takes over the job. The Panthers have a home matchup Sunday with the Buffalo Bills and will likely be without quarterback Bryce Young, so it’s an opportunity for one or the other to step forward right off the bat.
Author: Samwise (@BuyAndSellYou)
Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard aggravated his calf injury in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, according to Head Coach Dave Canales. Hubbard who was questionable entering Week 4, played 51 percent of snaps but “Came out of the game with the calf worse than at this point last week,” Canales said. He is considered day-to-day.
Hubbard is currently ranked RB15 on the season but has struggled to match his production from last year’s strong start. He has averaged 4.08 yards per carry through four games but has yet to score a rushing touchdown, with his only two scores coming through the air.
The Panthers face Miami Dolphins in Week 5, and Hubbard’s status remains uncertain, for that I am benching him. You don’t want to have the same thing as last week happen, where he only played half the game and aggravate it again. If he does play expect RB30 finish on the week.
Author: Jake Lewis (@Lewylewis5)
