Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Jahmyr Gibbs

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, 10:19 PM

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs laid an egg the last two weeks for fantasy managers, but he was able to finish out the season strong in Sunday's 19-16 win over the Chicago Bears in the Week 18 regular-season finale. Gibbs led the Lions with 19 carries for 80 yards and also caught three of his five targets for 33 yards and his fifth touchdown reception of the year. Overall, the 23-year-old was once again one of the most productive RBs in the NFL in his third year in the league. Gibbs finished with 1,223 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, adding a career-best 77 catches for 616 yards and another five scores as a receiver. He was the Lions' clear leading ball-carrier this year over David Montgomery, and Gibbs should profile yet again as a top-five fantasy RB going into 2026 drafts.