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Should I start Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard, Woody Marks for Week 15? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
The fantasy football playoffs are here! It's now more important than ever to get those start/sit decisions right, as managers are just one slip-up away from being eliminated.
Luckily for you, RotoBaller is here to help. Today, we'll look at three running backs: Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard, and Woody Marks. Dowdle has regressed since taking Hubbard's job as the Panthers' starter, as the latter's play was crucial in their shock victory over the Rams in Week 13. Meanwhile, the Texans have gone 5-0 ever since naming Marks as the team's starting running back, as the rookie has averaged 62.6 rushing yards per game during that stretch.
Without further ado, let's look at my fantasy outlook for each player and determine whether they're worth starting in Week 15 of the 2025 season.
Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!
Should I Start Rico Dowdle in Week 15?
Rico Dowdle helped the few fantasy managers who believed in him to some wins in the middle of the season. From Week 5 to Week 9, Dowdle was the PPR RB3, as he averaged more points than Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Saquon Barkley.
Bryce Young finds Rico Dowdle for a 36-yard TD!
DALvsCAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/2wqxlSKz7a
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025
However, things haven't gone so well since then, as Dowdle has averaged just 12.9 PPR points, fewer than Kimani Vidal and Chase Brown. He had a lower snap percentage than Chuba Hubbard against the Rams, the first time that this had happened since Week 8.
With Hubbard under contract for the foreseeable future, it seems like Dowdle won't get the same opportunities as he did earlier in the year when Hubbard was hurt. However, this game will be the perfect chance for him to showcase his talents to potential suitors in the 2026 offseason.
While the Saints' passing defense has improved drastically, their run defense ranks 24th in the league, and they have allowed 120+ rushing yards in each of their last three games. Dowdle is a solid RB2/flex play this week.
Should I Start Chuba Hubbard in Week 15?
As mentioned in the previous section, Chuba Hubbard is fully healthy again, and the Panthers have all the reasons in the world to put their faith in him over Rico Dowdle.
Panthers answer with a Chuba Hubbard touchdown
LARvsCAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/dmMU4ASLO5
— NFL (@NFL) November 30, 2025
Hubbard will be a Panther until 2028, and is almost exactly a year younger than Dowdle. After four weeks of getting very carries and working on special teams, Hubbard burst back onto the scene with a dominant performance against the Rams in Week 13.
He recorded 20.4 PPR points, making him that week's PPR RB5. HC Dave Canales will almost certainly go with a run-first approach this week, and Hubbard will also be an RB2/flex play alongside Dowdle.
Should I Start Woody Marks in Week 15?
Nick Chubb was on a Hall of Fame trajectory after his first five seasons, but we all know about the heartbreaking injury he suffered in Week 2 of the 2023 season. He never truly recovered in Cleveland, and while he showed some flashes in his first eight games in Houston, he was eventually benched for Woody Marks.
Woody Marks left open for the TD!
HOUvsKC on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/VwxOpWAePw— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2025
Marks has been a revelation since becoming the starter. He has put up solid fantasy RB2/flex numbers (10.7 PPR points per game), and the Texans are looking like legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Marks has a favourable matchup this week against the hapless Arizona Cardinals. Their run defense has allowed 149.0 yards per game since their Week 8 bye, which includes an embarrassing 249 yards allowed against the Rams last week. Marks is a consistent flex option for the fantasy playoffs.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 15 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard, and Woody Marks. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 15. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 15 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 15 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard, Woody Marks. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 15.
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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 15 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 15 (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 15 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 15 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard, Woody Marks compared to others:
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