Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Cody Schrader

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.

Friday, January 3, 8:20 PM

Los Angeles Rams running back Cody Schrader hasn't gotten any NFL work yet, but coach Sean McVay said he wants to see what the rookie can bring by getting him some work in Week 18 against the Seahawks. Schrader was an undrafted rookie out of Missouri last season who signed with the 49ers last May. He was waived at the end of training camp and claimed by the Rams. Schrader was very productive for the Tigers last season, setting the single-season record with 1,627 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. However, he hasn't seen any NFL action and is mostly viewed as a depth option going forward. He could get double-digit touches this week, though, so he's a flier to keep an eye on for very deep formats going forward. He's RotoBaller's RB73 this week, so he doesn't make a good fantasy play at this point in his NFL journey.