Chuba Hubbard

A calf injury suffered in Week 4 basically derailed Hubbard's entire season from that point, because he rushed back from the injury to get back into the lineup and predictably was not fully recovered. In this reduced form Hubbard's production declined, and the alternative of a healthy Rico Dowdle was a clearly more productive option for the Panthers until Hubbard was healthy. Dowdle was very fortunate to get a surge in playing time right when the Carolina schedule went from difficult (New England in Week 4) to extremely easy (Dallas and Miami in Weeks 5 and 6). There's almost no doubt that Hubbard could have posted the same numbers Dowdle did in those games if Hubbard had been healthy, but instead the big numbers Dowdle posted those weeks instigated the panic that led to Hubbard returning too soon, compounding the calf problem by some additional number of weeks. Hubbard did not look like himself until around Week 13, by which point Dowdle himself predictably had begun to slow down. Dowdle is in Pittsburgh following a free agent departure but Hubbard still demonstrated his risk as a fantasy asset -- namely, though Hubbard is good he is not so good as to clearly appear better than another competent running back, especially if Hubbard is nicked up and foolishly trying to play through the injury. Though it's reassuring that Dowdle is out of the equation, 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks could pose a similar threat if Brooks' knee health cooperates. Hubbard's fantasy utility specifically puts a lot of pressure on his rushing production, because on passing downs Hubbard is more of a blocker than a receiver. If the Panthers are running and running well all day then Hubbard will probably be the lead man and a big reason for said rushing success, but if the Panthers are struggling to move the ball Hubbard doesn't realistically have the fantasy fallback option of spamming reception points. Read Past Outlooks