Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Breece Hall

Monday, December 30, 6:15 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said on Monday that running back Chuba Hubbard (calf) will not require surgery for his strained calf. Hubbard was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve last week and will miss the final two games of the 2024 regular season. It's a downer to end what was a brilliant campaign for the 25-year-old in his fourth year in the NFL. He set career-highs in rushing attempts (250), rushing yards (1,195), rushing touchdowns (10) and receptions (43) while recording 171 receiving yards and an additional touchdown in his 15 starts. In terms of half-PPR points per game (14.9), Hubbard was the RB12 in fantasy. Although the Panthers have another promising back they drafted in 2024 in Jonathon Brooks, he has yet to be healthy, and Carolina also signed Hubbard to a four-year extension last month. Hubbard should enter 2025 as the team's unquestioned RB1.

Monday, March 31, 12:31 PM

New York Jets running back Breece Hall is used to being the team's featured back, but new head coach Aaron Glenn hinted that both Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis could be more involved in 2025 as part of more of a committee approach to the backfield. "I think, mentally, he's in a good place, but I would say that we have three running backs on this team that we're going to utilize as much as possible," Glenn said. The 23-year-old former second-round pick (36th overall) in 2022 out of Iowa State was a disappointment for fantasy managers as an RB1 in his third year in the league in 2024, as Hall went for 876 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 209 carries while also catching 57 passes for 483 yards and three more TDs in 16 starts. It might be that Hall simply needs to prove he's still the go-to back to the new coaching staff, but the addition of QB Justin Fields is also bad news for Hall's status as a sure-fire RB1 heading into 2025.