Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Kyren Williams

Sunday, January 11, 10:29 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard tallied 13 carries, 46 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns during Saturday's Wild Card loss against the Los Angeles Rams. He also caught two of four targets for an additional 13 receiving yards. Hubbard lost his lead-back role to Rico Dowdle during the middle of the season, but he seemed to reclaim his top spot over the final few weeks. As the Panthers were eliminated on Saturday, Hubbard registered 15 touches while Dowdle had just six. Dowdle is an impending free agent, so Hubbard should be a fringe top-24 fantasy running back heading into 2026 fantasy football drafts. It's unclear whether Jonathan Brooks (knee) or Trevor Etienne will be able to carve out a role next year.

Saturday, January 10, 10:32 AM

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams delivered another highly productive season, compiling 259 carries for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 36 catches (50 targets) for 281 yards and three more scores as a receiver in all 17 games. The 25-year-old split carries with second-year RB Blake Corum for a good stretch of the season as the Rams reportedly aimed to manage Williams' workload to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Williams should be in line to handle an increased workload in Saturday's Wild Card game against the Carolina Panthers, who have been solid against the run down the stretch, ranking sixth in defensive rushing success rate (36%) over the final five games. Williams had a productive game in the Rams' first meeting versus Carolina in Week 13, rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. He profiles as a high-end RB1 for the Wild Card round of the playoffs.