Who Should I Start? Ameer Abdullah or Chuba Hubbard

Monday, August 11, 8:41 PM

The San Francisco 49ers have placed running back Ameer Abdullah (ribs) on season-ending injured reserve, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Abdullah, who just joined the 49ers as a free agent on July 31, suffered a rib injury in a preseason-opening 30-9 loss to the Denver Broncos this past Saturday. While the 32-year-old was unlikely to make much of an impact this season (if any), it's another hit to San Francisco's depth in the backfield. The team is already set to go multiple weeks without injured Christian McCaffrey backups Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) and Jordan James (finger). The 49ers brought back Jeff Wilson Jr. in free agency on Sunday in the wake of Abdullah's injury to provide some much-needed healthy depth behind McCaffrey.

Friday, December 12, 1:21 PM

After starting the season as his team's RB1, Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard lost his job in the middle of the 2025 season to the emergent Rico Dowdle. Across a four-game stretch from Week 9 through Week 12, Hubbard failed to earn more than seven touches in any game. However, in Carolina's final game before its Week 14 bye, Hubbard went off for 124 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 19 touches against the Los Angeles Rams. While Dowdle still earned more touches against Los Angeles (20), Hubbard out-gained him by nearly 50 yards. Coming out of its bye, Carolina may continue to lessen the workload discrepancy between its two main backs. Even in a reduced role, Hubbard has still been productive this season, recording 627 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns across 11 games. Hubbard has flex appeal in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints and could continue trending upwards over the final stretch of the season.