Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Chuba Hubbard

Friday, August 29, 5:06 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan thinks All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey is poised for a bounce-back season in 2025 after the former NFL Offensive Player of the Year was limited to four games in 2024 due to injuries. McCaffrey has been healthy all offeason and training camp and has been looking like his old self. "He came in healthy this year. He had a hell of an offseason, he's had a hell of a training camp, and I believe that's going to lead to a hell of a year," Shanahan said. CMC got off to a late start last year due to Achilles tendinitis in both of his legs and then suffered a PCL sprain in his right knee that ended his season. While the 29-year-old is as injury-prone as they come, he's still worth consideration in the late first round of fantasy drafts. If McCaffrey can stay healthy, he still has the potential to be a league-winner at a discounted price in 2025.

Saturday, August 9, 3:50 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard opened the preseason with three rushes for 10 yards in Friday's 30-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns. While his stats were light, the 26-year-old is expected to resume his role as the team's lead back after an impressive 2024 campaign. Last year, Hubbard emerged as a bell-cow, capitalizing on injuries to Miles Sanders and Jonathon Brooks (knee) to post a stat line of 250 rushes for 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, along with 43 receptions for 171 yards and one touchdown through the air in 15 games. He signed a four-year, $33.2 million contract extension in the middle of the season. RotoBaller projects Hubbard as RB17 heading into the regular season, reflecting his expected workload as the top option in the Carolina backfield and a steady, high-end RB2.