Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Jaydon Blue

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, May 12, 4:24 PM

The Athletic's Jon Machota writes that he thinks Dallas Cowboys running backs Javonte Williams, Jaydon Blue, Miles Sanders and Phil Mafah will end up getting almost all of the backfield work for the team in 2025. Machota sees Williams being the leader early in the season, but eventually the rookie Blue will get more carries and lead the team in rushing. Machota thinks that by the end of the year, Blue, a fifth-round pick this year, will be their No. 1 RB. The 21-year-old Texas product is staying in state and will bring much-needed speed to Dallas' backfield this year. The 5-foot-9, 196-pounder isn't all that big, but he should complement the power of both Williams and Sanders well and provide a nice change-of-pace option with some pass-catching upside. Volume will certainly be a concern early on in Blue's rookie season, but he's not a bad late-round sleeper target for fantasy managers that wait at the position.