Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Kenneth Walker III

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.

Friday, October 17, 8:55 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III is in for more of the same flex-level production in Week 7 against the Houston Texans. Walker continues to play in a timeshare with fellow running back Zach Charbonnet. He is running relatively well, but his passing game work has been nearly nonexistent. He has scored single-digit fantasy points in two straight weeks in tough matchups. The Texans are No. 5 against opposing running backs in fantasy. This is not a week that Walker should be expected to get back to his usual production. He is always a threat for a big play, but even those have come few and far between in 2025. As long as both of Seattle's running backs are healthy, Walker will remain in the flex conversation. His RB2 upside does not even seem very achievable at this point. You can start Walker this week, but expect a low ceiling and a potentially single-digit floor.