Fantasy Football Player Notes

Chuba Hubbard racked up 1,366 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns last season, good for an RB12 finish in half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Hubbard averaged 4.8 yards per carry, ranked eighth in yards after contact per attempt among RBs with at least 100 carries, and was 11th among RBs in missed tackles forced. The Panthers rewarded Hubbard with a four-year, $33 million deal with about $16.5 million guaranteed. They signed Rico Dowdle in free agency, but Carolina gave Dowdle a one-year, $2.75 million contract, suggesting that Dowdle is going to be Hubbard's backup. There's reason to be optimistic about the trajectory of the Carolina offense, which was pretty good down the stretch in the first year with Dave Canales as head coach. And Carolina has a good offensive line. PFF had the Panthers ranked 7th in run-blocking grade last season.

Rico Dowdle took over as the Cowboys' lead RB in the second half of the 2024 regular season and was a monster down the stretch. Dowdle had 235-1,079-2 rushing for the season. Over his last seven games, Dowdle averaged 96.7 rushing yards and had four 100-yard rushing games. He was the RB13 in half-point PPR scoring over that stretch. But the Cowboys let Dowdle walk after the season, and he signed a modest one-year contract with the Panthers. Since Carolina gave a big contract extension to Chuba Hubbard in the offseason, it's reasonable to assume that Dowdle with be Hubbard's backup. But Dowdle is still an interesting late-round flyer.