Who Should I Start? Chuba Hubbard or Trey McBride

Monday, December 22, 12:27 PM

Chuba Hubbard had another quiet outing in the Carolina Panthers' 23-20 win against the Buccaneers. The Carolina RB had six carries for 27 yards while also adding one reception for seven yards. Hubbard finished the game with 4.4 PPR points, his lowest fantasy total since Week 11. Rico Dowdle also outperformed Hubbard with 43 scrimmage yards and 8.3 PPR points. Even though the workload was split between the two RBs, Hubbard logged fewer snaps (41%). In Week 17, the Carolina Panthers will face the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle ranked seventh in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to the RB position in the last four weeks leading up to Week 16. Due to the rough matchup against Seattle and inconsistent volume, Hubbard is off the fantasy radar for Week 17.

Saturday, December 20, 4:02 PM

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride remains a top fantasy option despite a difficult matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16. On paper, it may appear that the odds are stacked against McBride. Not only is he facing a Falcons defense that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends in 2025, but he could also face additional competition if Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel, questionable) returns from his two-game absence. However, McBride has consistently established himself as matchup-proof this year, so he should feast despite facing Atlanta. Furthermore, he could still lead the team in targets and catches, even if Harrison does return to the mix. In total this year, the 26-year-old has 105 catches, 1,071 yards, and a career-high 10 touchdowns. He is on track to finish this year as the overall TE1 in PPR leagues after finishing 2024 as the TE2. McBride has especially benefited from the presence of quarterback Jacoby Brissett. In full-PPR leagues, he averaged 12.5 fantasy points per game with Kyler Murray (foot) as the starter, and a whopping 23.3 fantasy points per game with Brissett as the starter. We should expect more otherworldly, video-game numbers from McBride this week. He's the undisputed TE1 in this week's fantasy rankings and should be a must-start as the fantasy playoffs continue.