X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

NFL Rookie Spotlight - Chuba Hubbard

The Carolina Panthers added running back depth in the 2021 NFL Draft when they selected RB Chuba Hubbard. Jason Katz looks at Hubbard's dynasty value to see if he is a running back worth targeting in dynasty leagues.

In what turned out to be a very poor decision, surefire Day Two NFL Draft pick Chuba Hubbard returned to college for his senior season and torpedoed his draft stock with a truly dismal season. Hubbard fell into the fourth round where he was drafted by the Carolina Panthers.

When evaluating prospects' likelihood of NFL success, we care about three things:
1. College performance
2. Athletic measurables
3. Draft capital

Today, we'll look at the redraft and dynasty value of running back Chuba Hubbard following his selection in the NFL Draft.

 

College Performance

Hubbard redshirted his freshman season at Oklahoma State, which is never encouraging, but he was given the keys to the offense his junior year and delivered a truly transcendent season. Hubbard posted 2,094 rushing yards on 328 carries. He scored 21 touchdowns and had an 8.6% target share. Hubbard looked poised to take the NFL by storm as a rookie in 2020.

I can't imagine Hubbard doesn't regret returning for his senior season. Hubbard only played seven games in a COVID shortened season and recorded just 625 yards and eight touchdowns. Even if you double his numbers to project for a full season, he comes nowhere near his 2019 performance. As a result, Hubbard fell to the fourth round.

When analyzing a prospect's ceiling, we look at his best college season, which for Hubbard, was his junior season. At the very least, we know the upside is there. His senior season does cast doubt on how likely he is to reach it, though.

 

Athletic Measurables

At 6'0, 208 lbs, Hubbard has the size to be a three-down back in the NFL. Below are his workout metrics from playerprofiler.com.

He has relatively average speed and above-average burst, but subpar agility, which suggests he's more of a straight-line runner. Give Hubbard a hole and he can fly through it, but ask him to juke around linemen or avoid linebackers, and he may have some trouble.

 

Rookie Season Outlook

Getting drafted to the Panthers gives Hubbard zero hope of winning a meaningful role. Christian McCaffrey is not going anywhere and even if the Panthers choose to reduce his workload in an effort to keep him healthy, Hubbard is not seeing more than a 20-25% opportunity share. That is not enough to have fantasy value.

With that being said, this landing spot is actually pretty good for Hubbard. There is no ambiguity in the Panthers' backfield. CMC is the top dog and Hubbard is almost certainly going to be the backup. That means Hubbard is one of the few clear handcuffs that we know will see volume in the event of an injury to the starter.

Should something happen to McCaffrey like it did last season, Hubbard can easily meet or exceed what Mike Davis was able to do in McCaffrey's stead. Hubbard has a 0% chance at standalone value, but he belongs on the redraft radar as the primary beneficiary of a CMC injury.

 

Long-Term Outlook

With McCaffrey entering the second year of a four-year contract and still just 25 years old, Hubbard is trapped behind him for the foreseeable future. It is extremely unlikely that Hubbard ever matters beyond filling in for McCaffrey if he gets hurt. McCaffrey isn't going anywhere and neither is Hubbard. He would do well to have a similar career like what we've seen from someone like Alexander Mattison operating behind Dalvin Cook. When called upon, Hubbard, like Mattison, will be capable of producing at RB1/2 levels, but he will always take a back seat once the starter returns.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More NFL Rookie Profiles




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Michael Wilson

Lands in Concussion Protocol
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys "Not Considering Trading" Micah Parsons
NHL

Jakub Lauko Returns to Czechia
Nicholas Robertson

Signs One-Year Contract with Maple Leafs
Terry McLaurin

Steelers Reportedly Contact Commanders Regarding Terry McLaurin
Alex Laferriere

Kings Re-Sign Alex Laferriere to Three-Year Deal
D'Ernest Johnson

Signs with Ravens
Kyle Juszczyk

Isaac Guerendo Leave Practice Early on Saturday
Los Angeles Chargers

Denzel Perryman Arrested on Felony Charges
Miles Sanders

Could Miss "a Couple of Days" with Knee Injury
DJ Giddens

Standing Out in Colts Practice, In Line for Significant Role?
Parris Campbell

Cowboys Place Parris Campbell on Injured Reserve
Baker Mayfield

to Return Next Week
Tyler Warren

Colts Putting A Lot on Tyler Warren's Plate
RJ Harvey

a Joker Candidate in Broncos Offense
Tank Bigsby

Featured Heavily in Friday's Scrimmage
Bryce Young

Tetairoa McMillan Working on Improving Timing with Bryce Young
Duop Reath

Has Salary Guaranteed by Portland
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Agrees to Contract Extension with the Lakers
Shedeur Sanders

Sits Out Team Drills with Arm Soreness
Cam Skattebo

Suffers Setback in Recovery From Hamstring Injury
Isaiah Davis

Standing Out in Jets Practice
Breece Hall

Set for Big Role in Passing Game
Denver Broncos

Zach Allen Agrees to a Four-Year Extension with the Broncos
Tommy Tremble

Trending in the Right Direction
Travis Hunter

Plays Offense and Defense During a Scrimmage
William Contreras

Goes Deep in Five-Hit Night
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Exits Early Friday, Expects to Play Saturday
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez Named New Giants Closer
Jaden Springer

Signs Exhibit-9 Deal with New Orleans
Julian Champagnie

has Salary Guaranteed by San Antonio
Jackson Chourio

Could be Out a Month
Aaron Judge

Yankees Eyeing Return for Aaron Judge Next Week
Juan Soto

Back in Lineup Against Giants
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Reinstated and Starting on Friday
George Springer

Goes on Concussion Injured List
JoJo Romero

the Top Candidate for Saves in St. Louis
Nolan Arenado

Going on Injured List With Shoulder Injury
Conor McGregor

Enters UFC Testing Pool
Grayson Rodriguez

Considering Having Surgery
Devin Williams

Yankees Plan to Keep Devin Williams in Closer's Role
HyunSung Park

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Tatsuro Taira

Set For UFC Vegas 108 Main Event
Mateusz Rębecki

Mateusz Rebecki Looks For His Second Consecutive Win
Chris Duncan

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Elves Brener

Looks For His Fourth UFC Win
Esteban Ribovics

Set For UFC Vegas 108 Main Card Bout
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos Aims To Bounce Back
Karol Rosa

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Nora Cornolle

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Neil Magny

Returns At UFC Vegas 108
Kevin Vallejos

Set To Open Up UFC Vegas 108 Main Card
Danny Silva

Set For His Third UFC Fight
Mikal Bridges

Signs Extension with Knicks
Jackson Chourio

Expected to Go on Injured List With Hamstring Strain
Jonathan Aranda

Rays Hope Jonathan Aranda Can Return in September
Shelby Miller

Brewers Acquire Shelby Miller
José Caballero

Jose Caballero Shipped to the Bronx
Bailey Falter

Traded to Royals
Charlie Morton

Headed to Detroit
Camilo Doval

Yankees Acquire Camilo Doval
Griffin Jax

Traded to Tampa Bay
Connor McDavid

Oilers Hope to Finalize Connor McDavid's Contract Extension Soon
Willi Castro

Joining Cubs
BUF

Devon Levi Re-Signs With Sabres for Two Years
Martin Pospisil

Signs Three-Year Extension
Dario Šarić

Dario Saric Hoping to Have Meaningful Role with Kings
Donte DiVincenzo

to Skip EuroBasket Due to Injury
Ayo Dosunmu

Set to Remain in Chicago
Malevy Leons

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Thunder
Daeqwon Plowden

Kings Pick Up Daeqwon Plowden on Two-Way Deal
Bryce McGowens

Signs Two-Way Deal with Pelicans
Jonathan Kuminga

Declines Latest Offers from Golden State
Gary Woodland

Eyeing Strong Finish to Reach Playoffs
Max McGreevy

Chasing a Miracle at Wyndham
Stephan Jaeger

a Solid Value Play at Wyndham Championship
Max Homa

Fighting to Salvage Disappointing Season
Nicolai Hojgaard

a Sleeper at Wyndham Championship
Rickie Fowler

Riding Quiet Momentum Into Wyndham
Brian Campbell

a Wild Card at Wyndham Championship
Akshay Bhatia

Looking to Flip the Script at Wyndham Championship
Aaron Rai

Finishes Tied For 34th at Open Championship
Andrew Novak

Finishes Tied For 63rd at Open Championship
Hideki Matsuyama

Finishes Tied For 16th at Open Championship
Kurt Kitayama

Wins 3M Open
Tom Kim

Finishes Tied For 28th at 3M Open
PGA

Sungjae Im Misses Cut at 3M Open
Max Greyserman

Misses Cut at 3M Open
Jordan Spieth

Looks to End Regular Season on a High Note at Wyndham Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick

Finishes Tied For Fourth at Open Championship
Eric Cole

Misses Cut at 3M Open
Keith Mitchell

Needs a Big Week at Wyndham Championship
Robert MacIntyre

is the Perfect Kind of Ball-Striker for Wyndham Championship
Charlie McAvoy

Ready to Go for Next Season
Dylan Samberg

Agrees to Three-Year Contract with Jets
Michael Kim

Needs More Solid Finishes
NBA

Thanasis Antetokounmpo Added to Greece Training Camp Roster for EuroBasket 2025
Los Angeles Clippers

Patrick Baldwin Jr. Waived by Clippers
Josh Green

May Not be Ready for Start of Hornets Training Camp
NBA

Thomas Bryant Set to Move to Greece
Cam Thomas

Nets Far Apart in Contract Talks
Kristaps Porzingis

Feeling "Great" Ahead of New Season
Chris Paul

Hints He Could Extend His Career Beyond the 2025-26 Season
Brandon Miller

Close to 100 Percent
Jayden Struble

Canadiens Lock Up Jayden Struble for Two Years
Robert Whittaker

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Reinier de Ridder

Gets Split-Decision Win
Conor Timmins

Avoids Salary Arbitration with Two-Year Deal
Marcus McGhee

Drops Decision At UFC Abu Dhabi
Toronto Raptors

Colin Castleton Waived by Raptors on Monday
Petr Yan

Extends Win Streak
Marc-Andre Barriault

Suffers Decision Loss
Shara Magomedov

Gets Back In The Win Column
Jose Ochoa

Dominated At UFC Abu Dhabi
MMA

Asu Almbayev Dominates At UFC Abu Dhabi
Kyle Larson

Falls Short of Back-To-Back Victories at Indianapolis
Denny Hamlin

Rallies Into Third Place At Indianapolis
Chase Briscoe

Pit Strategies End up Failing Chase Briscoe at Indianapolis
Ty Gibbs

Wins NASCAR's Inaugural In-Season Challenge Tournament
Ryan Preece

Finishes Fourth but Loses Ground to Playoff Cutline
Brad Keselowski

Has Good Strategy, but Not Enough to Win
Ryan Blaney

Bails from Hail Mary Strategy Attempt but Recovers to Finish Seventh
Tyler Reddick

Eliminated from Brickyard 400 in Crash After Top Five Run
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF