Who Should I Start? Kareem Hunt or Rico Dowdle

Thursday, February 12, 8:56 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt has enjoyed a career resurgence over his last two years with the team. In 2025, he appeared in all 17 games, rushing for 611 yards and eight touchdowns while sharing the backfield with Isiah Pacheco. The veteran running back also added 143 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown, and he finished the year as the overall RB31 in full-PPR leagues. Hunt now has 1,658 scrimmage yards over his last two seasons, as well as a whopping 25 touchdowns over his last three seasons. Hunt, an impending free agent, will be 31 years old when the 2026 season gets underway. His efficiency has tailed off, and he's no longer a workhorse back. However, he has shown that he can continue to be a scoring threat while contributing as both a ball-carrier and a pass-catcher. We wouldn't be surprised to see Hunt re-sign with the Chiefs, but no matter where he ends up, he could sneak into the top 36 running backs for fantasy football drafts. His dynasty outlook isn't quite as favorable, though, as he's definitely in the final stages of his career.

Wednesday, February 25, 4:55 AM

Carolina Panthers impending free-agent running back Rico Dowdle wasn't happy with the way the 2025 season ended and seemed like a man not interested in re-signing, but he "has sent out social-media messages since then suggesting he might," according to Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. General manager Dan Morgan said the "door was open" for Dowdle to return, but they will let him test the free-agent market. If Dowdle doesn't re-sign, the Panthers are happy with the rest of the RB room, which includes Chuba Hubbard, former second-rounder Jonathon Brooks, and last year's fourth-rounder, Trevor Etienne. The 27-year-old Dowdle led Carolina in rushing last year, running for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns on 236 carries over 17 regular-season games. It was his second straight 1,000-yard season. He was involved in more of a timeshare down the stretch with Hubbard, though, and Dowdle has made it clear he wants an opportunity to be a lead back. That's unlikely to happen if he stays with the Panthers.