Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Jerome Ford

Sunday, October 19, 10:58 AM

Carolina Panthers running backs Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle will trade series early in Sunday's Week 7 contest against the New York Jets, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. By alternating drives, the two running backs will have an opportunity to maintain fresh legs, while the coaching staff gets a chance to decide which running back to lean on later in the game. Both running backs may play quite well to start the game and then continue to contribute in a committee for the rest of the contest. However, by alternating series, Hubbard and Dowdle will each at least have a chance to establish themselves as the primary option out of this backfield. Hubbard and Dowdle both rank as solid RB3 options this week, and they could both have standalone value in an offense that has become increasingly run-heavy. Hubbard has appeal since he was the Panthers' starter before his calf injury and is first on the depth chart, while Dowdle has appeal because he exploded for 473 yards and two touchdowns in the two weeks that Hubbard missed.

Friday, October 10, 7:37 PM

The Athletic's Daniel Popper speculates that if the Los Angeles Chargers explore the trade market at running back with Najee Harris (Achilles) done for the year and rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton (ankle) on Injured Reserve, two potential options could be New York Jets RB Breece Hall and the Cleveland Browns' Jerome Ford. Both Hall and Ford are on expiring deals and could bring the Bolts a compensatory draft pick if they make it to free agency in 2026. Even when Hampton returns from IR, L.A. is going to need a second back to pair with him as a team with a run-first identity under offensive coordinator Greg Roman. At least for Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins, Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal are expected to share the backfield equally, giving them both flex appeal in deeper fantasy leagues. How aggressive the Chargers are on bringing in an outside RB will depend on how Haskins and Vidal fare in the coming weeks.