Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Kenneth Gainwell

Sunday, June 14, 5:37 AM

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard is no stranger to ambiguous backfields, but what he faces heading into the 2026 season may be the most unsettled room of his six-year career. Conflicting reports seem to emerge almost weekly about how Hubbard and unproven third-year back Jonathon Brooks will split work. Brooks was a second-round pick and the first running back off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft, while Hubbard was given a four-year, $33 million extension that same year after Brooks tore his right ACL for the second time in just over a year. With Brooks sitting out the entire 2025 season, Hubbard was slowed by his own nagging ailments and eventually overtaken in the starting role by Rico Dowdle, who has since signed a two-year deal with the Steelers. While Brooks has arguably the brighter future in Carolina, uncertainty about how things might look in 2026 has driven down the cost of both players, and at RotoBaller's dynasty RB33, the 27-year-old Hubbard is an affordable trade target who could offer depth and a number of usable starts for contending managers.