Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Michael Penix Jr.

Wednesday, October 15, 3:46 PM

Updating a previous report, Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (calf) was officially a limited participant in his return to practice on Wednesday, according to David Newton of ESPN. This is the first time that Hubbard has practiced since injuring his calf in Week 4. The 26-year-old missed Weeks 5 and 6 and left backfield duties to Rico Dowdle, who took full advantage of the elevated role to go for 473 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 60 touchdowns over that span. Dowdle's domination has allowed the Panthers to slow-play Hubbard's return, but it looks like he could make it back this Sunday against the New York Jets. Carolina has said that it will be more of an even split in the backfield between Hubbard and Dowdle when Hubbard returns, which will lower the fantasy ceilings of both RBs. Dowdle could see more work in Week 7 if Hubbard is eased back into the offense this weekend.

Tuesday, October 14, 11:59 AM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed 20 of 32 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's 24-14 win over the Bills, adding two rushes for six yards. The former first-round draft pick has looked more confident in his last two contests (69 percent completion rate, 3:1 TD:INT) after posting duds in Weeks 2 and 3 (54 percent completion rate, 0:2 TD:INT). Still, even though he's recorded one rushing score this season, the 25-year-old has gained just 37 yards on the ground through five games in 2025, so he does not have that weekly floor built into his fantasy value that so many other QBs have these days, currently ranking as the No. 27 QB in fantasy. The University of Washington product will face a 49ers defense in Week 7 that is middle of the pack in terms of allowing fantasy production to opposing QBs, but proactive managers interested in a streaming option might look ahead to the following week, where he'll face a soft Miami defense that has been generous in the passing game, giving up the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.