Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Cameron Ward

Saturday, January 3, 10:02 AM

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (toe) does not have an injury designation heading into the team's week 18 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dowdle appears to be in a 60-40 timeshare with fellow running back Chuba Hubbard, with the latter seeing the vast majority of third downs over the past three games. The Panthers hosted the Buccaneers in Week 16, and Dowdle was held to just 29 yards from nine rushing attempts, but did earn 14 receiving yards from his four receptions off six targets. Even though Dowdle has been absent on nearly every third down over the last two games, he still managed to earn more targets and run six more routes each game than Hubbard. Dowdle profiles as a low-end RB2 against a middle-of-the-road Buccaneers run defense in the 2025 regular season finale.

Sunday, January 4, 9:30 PM

Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cameron Ward (shoulder) is believed to have suffered a Grade 3 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder during the team's Week 18 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, per Jeff Howe of The Athletic. Ward exited the game in the first quarter after being landed on by a Jacksonville defender. While Tennessee's 2025 season has come to a close, Ward may now face a lengthy rehab process throughout the offseason. Across 17 games as a rookie, the 23-year-old completed 59.8% of his pass attempts for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Ward also rushed for 159 yards and two scores. The Titans will pair Ward with a new head coach in 2026 after firing former head coach Brian Callahan in mid-October. Ward still carries significant upside for the future, but it appears he will have to overcome a substantial shoulder injury as he heads into his second season.