Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Braelon Allen

Monday, October 6, 3:07 PM

With Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (calf) viewed as day-to-day with the calf injury that kept him out of Sunday's win against the Dolphins, and Rico Dowdle coming off the first 200-yard game of his career, the Panthers' backfield situation is suddenly looking cloudy for fantasy managers. In speaking with reporters on Monday, head coach Dave Canales said the team has two good running backs and that, "It's a good problem to have." There were some fears that the 73% running back rush share that made Hubbard a fantasy darling in 2024 would be unsustainable, especially after the team signed Dowdle in free agency. Prior to Hubbard's injury, Dowdle had seen a steadily increasing involvement in Canales' offense. As long as Hubbard is out, Dowdle can be started with confidence, but fantasy managers who can afford to do so should take a longer-term approach to seeing how carries are divvied up when both backs are healthy.

Friday, October 3, 11:54 AM

According to head coach Aaron Glenn, New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (knee) could miss 8-12 weeks with the MCL sprain he suffered in Week 4's loss to the Miami Dolphins. Reports were that Allen would miss more than the minimum number of required games, but it now appears he'll be out until at least December, with surgery still an option. In the 21-year-old's absence, teammate Isaiah Davis will take over the Jets' RB2 duties behind starter Breece Hall, and the newly-acquired Khalil Herbert will handle the RB3 role with Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) still tending to injury. Fantasy managers can safely drop Allen in all redraft formats as the likelihood of him making an impact to close out the 2025 season remains low.