Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or RJ Harvey

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.

Saturday, October 4, 9:16 AM

Denver Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey was able to earn a season-best 41% of snaps in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, this was due to replacing J.K. Dobbins for the majority of the 4th quarter in a blowout win. The rookie running back will look to carve out a role against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. While Harvey will increasingly develop confidence in the coaching staff and through his own experience on the field, it's likely that, barring an injury to Dobbins, he will continue to be a change-of-pace back in closer games. The explosive rookie is developing some standalone value as a flex starter. Still, Dobbins' strong performances might continue to hold him back from reaching his actual ceiling as a talented 2nd round pick. Harvey is considered a solid FLEX play and is currently RB34 in the latest RotoBaller Week 5 rankings.