Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Bucky Irving

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.

Wednesday, June 18, 7:41 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving noted last week that he aims to improve heading into his second season. "But yeah, just always going back and looking at the film and looking at things that you can get better at and improve in, and also not getting satisfied and stuck in last year," said Irving. "Nobody cares about what you did last year. It's, 'What can you do for me now?'" The Oregon alum burst onto the scene last season with a PPR RB13 finish despite toting the rock just 207 times. He displayed an elite ability to break tackles and was a catalyst for Tampa Bay with the ball in his hands. With the Buccaneers returning all of their offensive line starters from 2024, Irving could be in for a massive year with a focus on aiming higher in his second season. He's one of the more exciting picks in the first two rounds of fantasy drafts.