Who Should I Start? Andy Dalton or Chuba Hubbard

Wednesday, October 22, 10:24 AM

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton appears to be trending toward a Week 8 start against the Buffalo Bills, with starter Bryce Young sidelined by a high-ankle sprain. The veteran is expected to step in for his seventh start as a Panther. Across his six previous starts with Carolina, Dalton has averaged 225 passing yards per game, throwing nine touchdowns and six interceptions. When Dalton entered the game last week in New York, Xavier Legette immediately benefited, hauling in four of five targets for 60 yards and serving as the only Panthers wideout to record a reception from Dalton. The chemistry between the two could carry over into this week's matchup against a struggling Bills defense that has given up big performances to Drake London and Stefon Diggs in back-to-back weeks. While Dalton remains a risky fantasy start in both 1-QB and Superflex formats, his presence should boost the fantasy outlooks of playmakers like Tetairoa McMillan and Xavier Legette, both of whom are strong starting options in Week 8.

Monday, October 20, 2:33 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters on Monday that he anticipates a continued workload split between his two running backs, Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle. In the two games that Hubbard missed with an injured calf, Dowdle saw a total of 61 opportunities, which he converted into an unreal 470 yards and two scores. In Hubbard's first game back, the two saw a nearly 50/50 workload split, with Hubbard on the field for five more snaps than Dowdle, but Dowdle seeing 18 opportunities to Hubbard's 16. Dowdle was also the more efficient back on the day, averaging 5.3 yards per touch to Hubbard's 3.4, and managing a usable fantasy performance with his 96 yards. For fantasy managers who had feasted on his last two games, it was surely a disappointment, but in the right matchup, both backs should provide enough of a floor to help navigate bye weeks and injuries from the flex spot, especially as Hubbard continues to knock off the rust.