Who Should I Start? Najee Harris or Chuba Hubbard

Tuesday, February 18, 11:23 AM

ESPN's Brooke Pryor writes that it would be cost prohibitive for the Pittsburgh Steelers to use the franchise tag on impending free-agent running back Najee Harris this year after they declined his fifth-year option a year ago. Additionally, neither quarterbacks Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields is worth the hefty price that would come with a franchise tag for a QB. However, Pittsburgh could consider using the transition tag on Wilson or Fields that would give them the ability to match another team's offer. RB Jaylen Warren will also be a restricted free agent, so the Steelers RB room could look quite different in 2025. Harris has over 1,000 yards rushing in all four of his NFL seasons and has started all 68 games, but he's lacked explosiveness by averaging 3.9 yards per carry on his 1,097 rushing attempts. Still, the Steelers could very well re-sign him, especially if they let Warren walk.

Monday, December 30, 6:15 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said on Monday that running back Chuba Hubbard (calf) will not require surgery for his strained calf. Hubbard was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve last week and will miss the final two games of the 2024 regular season. It's a downer to end what was a brilliant campaign for the 25-year-old in his fourth year in the NFL. He set career-highs in rushing attempts (250), rushing yards (1,195), rushing touchdowns (10) and receptions (43) while recording 171 receiving yards and an additional touchdown in his 15 starts. In terms of half-PPR points per game (14.9), Hubbard was the RB12 in fantasy. Although the Panthers have another promising back they drafted in 2024 in Jonathon Brooks, he has yet to be healthy, and Carolina also signed Hubbard to a four-year extension last month. Hubbard should enter 2025 as the team's unquestioned RB1.