Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Chuba Hubbard

Saturday, June 29, 1:07 PM

No NFL running back played a higher percentage of his team's offensive snaps last year than San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey. Elijah Mitchell, their top backup, missed six games in another injury-riddled season, and McCaffrey was simply too good to take off the field. CMC led the league with 1,459 rushing yards -- 292 more than the next best RB. His 21 TDs tied for the league lead and he also added 564 receiving yards, which ranked fourth on the 49ers. His 339 total touches were the second-most of his career. McCaffrey's efforts earned him Offensive Player of the Year honors and a two-year extension. The Niners would love a repeat performance in 2024, but perhaps with less wear and tear. A healthy Mitchell would help them accomplish that. "We have to protect Christian from himself. He doesn't like to ever come out no matter what the situation is and I do think that's something we could protect him with more," head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Sunday, January 7, 5:22 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard carried the ball 23 times for 83 yards and added two catches for nine yards in a 9-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18. Hubbard easily led the team in rushing in the regular-season finale as Miles Sanders saw just three touches in the loss. Hubbard ultimately turned in a successful season as he wrestled the starting role away from Sanders mid-season and never looked back. His role heading into next season remains up in the air, however, as the Panthers are likely to have a new head coach and general manager in place.