Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Devaughn Vele

Wednesday, November 20, 3:04 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he wants to see rookie running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) play confident and fast when he makes his NFL debut, and he will be working behind Chuba Hubbard when he plays in his first NFL contest this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Meanwhile, Miles Sanders (ankle, foot) isn't expected to play in Week 12, so Brooks should serve as the backup to Hubbard. The 21-year-old Brooks hasn't played all year while recovering from an ACL tear he suffered last year in college, but he's practicing in full on Wednesday and should be active this Sunday. Hubbard has earned lead-back duties for Carolina with another strong season in 2024, which means Brooks will probably be in line for backup duties the rest of the way in his rookie season, making him mostly a bench stash and handcuff in fantasy.

Monday, November 18, 10:12 AM

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele quietly had a strong performance in the 38-6 blowout win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Week 11, although he wasn't on the receiving end of one of rookie quarterback Bo Nix's career-high four touchdown passes. Vele finished with four receptions on five targets for 66 receiving yards. Both his targets and yards were second on the team behind Courtland Sutton. The 26-year-old seventh-rounder out of Utah has had some impressive moments in his first NFL season, and while his 66 yards were his second-highest yardage total of the year, he's also failed to reach 40 yards in five of his seven games. Vele will continue to develop alongside Nix but can't realistically be trusted in starting fantasy lineups as anything more than a boom/bust WR5/flex in deeper leagues.