Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Javonte Williams

Monday, October 20, 2:33 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters on Monday that he anticipates a continued workload split between his two running backs, Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle. In the two games that Hubbard missed with an injured calf, Dowdle saw a total of 61 opportunities, which he converted into an unreal 470 yards and two scores. In Hubbard's first game back, the two saw a nearly 50/50 workload split, with Hubbard on the field for five more snaps than Dowdle, but Dowdle seeing 18 opportunities to Hubbard's 16. Dowdle was also the more efficient back on the day, averaging 5.3 yards per touch to Hubbard's 3.4, and managing a usable fantasy performance with his 96 yards. For fantasy managers who had feasted on his last two games, it was surely a disappointment, but in the right matchup, both backs should provide enough of a floor to help navigate bye weeks and injuries from the flex spot, especially as Hubbard continues to knock off the rust.

Monday, October 20, 12:17 AM

Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams had his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season in the Week 7 victory over the visiting Washington Commanders on Sunday. In the 44-22 win, Williams was dominant on the ground, going for 116 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries (6.1 yards per carry). It was the 25-year-old's second game in 2025 with over 100 rushing yards, and it was a nice bounce-back effort after he had a season-low 29 ground yards on 13 carries in last week's loss to the Carolina Panthers. He added just one catch on four targets for a gain of two yards. Williams showed his bruising style of play and was able to pick up chunk gains out of the backfield against a weak Commanders defense on Sunday. He is averaging over 5.0 yards per tote in his first year in Dallas and is well on his way to a breakout in his fifth NFL season in Dallas' high-scoring offense. Williams has become a must-start RB2 in fantasy, but it could be tough sledding against his old team, the Denver Broncos, in a Week 8 showdown.