RADIO
Will Chuba Hubbard start for the Carolina Panthers when he returns? Andy Smith breaks down the Week 10 Chuba Hubbard return timeline and fantasy football outlook.
Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard stands out as the Panthers' clear RB1 despite the team also bringing in veteran Rico Dowdle from the Dallas Cowboys.
In the first four games of the young season, Hubbard dominated the backfield, receiving 13.3 attempts per game with 4.3 targets per game. However, before Week 5, Hubbard would suffer a calf injury, which paved the way for Dowdle to take over RB1 duties.
So will Hubbard return to being the RB1 for the Panthers when he's back on the field?
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Will Chuba Hubbard Start For The Panthers When He Returns?
Dowdle has rushed over 180 yards in every game in which Hubbard has been sidelined, which could put Hubbard's starting job in danger. During these two games, Dowdle has averaged an impressive 33.1 PPR points per game with two touchdowns, 26.5 attempts per game, and 4.5 targets per game.
However, on Wednesday, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler reported that Hubbard should maintain a prominent role in the backfield.
Fowler noted that Hubbard will remain a "focal point." However, given Dowdle's near-dominant play as the RB1, Hubbard's days of seeing 20+ combined touches are likely coming to an end.
While Hubbard will not be a true three-down back much longer, fantasy managers should expect him to remain involved in the offense, even if the Panthers opt to take a committee approach with their top running backs. Given Dowdle's impressive stretch as the starter, this backfield could take a similar approach as the Seahawks are doing with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.
Rico Dowdle Set to Take Over Panthers Backfield? https://t.co/RNYFWIeG3W
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 14, 2025
Chuba Hubbard Fantasy Football Outlook
While Hubbard will still hold solid RB2 value, his usage will be capped due to Dowdle's emergence. However, managers should still expect Hubbard to be a viable FLEX option on a weekly basis. During the opening month of the campaign, Hubbard was averaging a solid 14.0 PPR points per game and carried high-end RB2 upside.
However, with the Panthers likely to split the backfield opportunities, Hubbard may be touchdown-dependent to reach RB2 status.
Managers should still hold Hubbard on their bench in all leagues until he returns from action. While he will not be a must-start player as he once was, he should still provide higher-end FLEX value, with the potential for spike weeks, given his usage in the red zone.
Panthers Won't Name Chuba Hubbard the Starter https://t.co/I91ugV0kN8
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 13, 2025
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 7 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Quinshon Judkins, Tony Pollard, Isiah Pacheco, Woorky Marks, Zach Charbonnet, Kenneth Gainwell, Jordan Mason. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 7. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 7 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Quinshon Judkins, Tony Pollard, Isiah Pacheco, Woorky Marks, Zach Charbonnet, Kenneth Gainwell, Jordan Mason. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 7.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 7 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 7 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 7 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 7 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Quinshon Judkins, Tony Pollard, Isiah Pacheco, Woorky Marks, Zach Charbonnet, Kenneth Gainwell, Jordan Masoncompared to others:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
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!
