Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Nico Collins

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.

Tuesday, October 21, 1:34 AM

Updating a previous report, the Houston Texans announced that wide receiver Nico Collins (concussion) was downgraded to out in Monday night's Week 7 game against the Seattle Seahawks after suffering a concussion early in the fourth quarter. Collins' helmet hit the turf when he came down on a contested catch in Seattle, and he will now enter the league's concussion protocol. On a short week, it's possible that he will not be cleared in time for Sunday's Week 8 tilt against the San Francisco 49ers. Before leaving, Collins caught only four of his 10 targets for 27 yards. Tight end Dalton Schultz led Houston in receiving on Monday night, catching nine of 10 targets for 98 yards, and could be in for another big workload in Week 8 if Collins doesn't get the green light. In addition to Schultz, rookie wideouts Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, and Xavier Hutchinson would be in line for more targets if Collins misses additional time. Noel was second in receiving on Monday night with four grabs for 77 yards on seven targets.