Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Logs another 100-yard outing
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Dowdle rushed 19 times for 45 yards and caught five of seven targets for 55 yards in Sunday's 30-27 overtime win over the Falcons.
Although he didn't find the end zone and averaged just 2.3 yards per carry, Dowdle still notched his fourth 100-yard performance of the season in the Week 11 win. The Panthers' didn't lean on the rushing attack as heavily as usual, as quarterback Bryce Young had a career day with 448 passing yards and three touchdowns. Dowdle has now received 20 or more touches in five of Carolina's last seven games, reinforcing his role as a workhorse back. He'll look to improve his efficiency in a favorable Week 12 matchup against a 49ers defense that's struggled as of late.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Cleared to play
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Dowdle (quadriceps) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Atlanta, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Dowdle played through the same quad injury last week and took 21 touches for 64 yards, but fantasy managers perhaps got a bit nervous after he didn't practice Wednesday. He returned Thursday as a limited participant, before upgrading to full participation Friday, which sets him up for another huge workload after back-to-back outings with more than 20 touches and a snap share well above 70 percent.
Dowdle (quadriceps) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
Head coach Dave Canales said Carolina's goal is to manage Dowdle's workload and have him ready for Sunday's road matchup against the Falcons, per Darin Gantt of the team's official site. As such, fantasy managers can be confident Dowdle will be available Week 11, barring any setbacks at Friday's practice. During the Panthers' loss to the Saints in Week 10, Dowdle remained solidified as the team's top backfield option while rushing 18 times for 53 yards and one score. He also hauled in all three of his targets for 10 yards.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Warming up Thursday
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Dowdle (quadriceps) was warming up prior to Wednesday's practice, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Dowdle appears to be following a similar practice regimen to last week, when he followed Wednesday's DNP with a limited session Thursday and full showing Friday due to a quad issue. He continued to operate as the Panthers' lead runner this past Sunday against the Saints, turning 21 touches into 63 yards from scrimmage and one TD, while No. 2 RB Chuba Hubbard handled four touches for 15 total yards. Thursday's injury report will reveal Dowdle's activity level, or lack thereof.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: No practice to begin Week 11
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Dowdle (quadriceps) did not practice Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Dowdle has sat out of Wednesday sessions regularly as of late, so it doesn't yet appear as though his current absence is anything out of the ordinary. Head coach Dave Canales said Dowdle is expected to practice Thursday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports, which would follow Dowdle's usual trend and put him on the right trajectory for Sunday's road matchup against the Falcons. Dowdle has compiled at least 50 rushing yards in six consecutive games, with three 100-plus yardage performances and five total touchdowns in span.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Finds end zone in Week 10 loss
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Dowdle carried the ball 18 times for 53 yards and a touchdown and caught all three of his targets for 10 yards in Sunday's 17-7 loss to the Saints.
The yardage total was Dowdle's lowest since he took on a significant role in the Panthers' backfield in Week 5, but he did score his fifth rushing TD of the season on a five-yard dash in the first quarter for the team's only score. Over his last six games, Dowdle has piled up 705 rushing yards and four touchdowns while adding a 13-122-1 receiving line on 17 targets. He'll look to staying productive in Week 11 against the Falcons.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Good to go
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Dowdle (quadriceps) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Saints, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
After starting the week as a non-participant in practice, Dowdle upgraded to 'limited' on Thursday and 'full' on Friday, setting him up for another large workload at home against the one-win Saints. He took 27 touches for 141 yards and two TDs in an upset win at Green Bay last week, playing 72 percent of Carolina's snaps on offense in the process. Chuba Hubbard, meanwhile, got five touches on a 22 percent snap share.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Logs limited session
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Dowdle (quadriceps) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
After sitting out Wednesday's session, Dowdle took a step forward by practicing in a limited capacity Thursday. In order to avoid carrying a designation into Sunday's game against the Saints, Dowdle will likely need to upgrade to full activity Friday in the Panthers' final practice of the week. If he's cleared to play this weekend, Dowdle should be in line for another turn as Carolina's lead back after handily out-snapping and outproducing Chuba Hubbard in an upset win over the Packers in Week 9. In that contest, Dowdle accounted for 141 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 27 touches while playing 72 percent of the snaps. Hubbard, meanwhile, handled a 22 percent snap share and was limited to 17 yards on five touches.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Getting in some work Thursday
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Dowdle (quadriceps) stretched before Thursday's practice and appears poised to take part in drills, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Dowdle sat out Wednesday's session due to a quad injury, but the fact he had a helmet after stretching indicates at least individual work is on the table for him. He resumed a workhorse role during this past Sunday's win at Green Bay, even with Chuba Hubbard available, taking 25 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns and catching two of three targets for 11 yards. Meanwhile, Hubbard had just five carries for 17 yards and didn't haul in his only target. Thursday's practice report will reveal if Dowdle indeed progressed to being a limited participant.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Carries offense in upset win
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Dowdle carried the ball 25 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns and caught two of three targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 16-13 win over the Packers.
The 27-year-old celebrated being anointed as the Panthers' clear No. 1 RB by delivering another massive performance, capped by a five-yard score in the second quarter and a one-yard plunge across the goal line in the third. Dowdle has amassed 652 rushing yards and three TDs over the last five games, while adding a 10-112-1 line on 14 targets through the air, and he figures to see a heavy workload again in Week 10 against the Saints.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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I love that Dave Canales wants to commit to Dowdle as his featured running back, but that doesn't mean Chuba Hubbard will just sit on the bench. We'll see what the split ends up, but Dowdle should be considered a low-end No. 2 running back at best in the majority of leagues. And this is a tough matchup against the Packers, who are No. 3 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Green Bay has held Chase Brown, Zonovan Knight and Jaylen Warren to 9.4 PPR points or less in three games in a row, and I'm worried that Dowdle could also have single digits in PPR, especially if he fails to score a touchdown.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Poised to take over as lead option
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Head coach Dave Canales hinted Monday that he's inclined to give Dowdle the bulk of the Panthers' carries rather than having him split work evenly with Chuba Hubbard, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports. "Chuba has meant a lot to this organization and certainly to the identity that we want to build and we wanted to give him the opportunity to go out there and to continue to impact our team in a positive way," Canales said. "But we cannot ignore the fact that Rico has been exceptional... We love tempo and violence that he is running with. These are things we are looking back on the last four games and really taking a snapshot of what has been successful for us."
While Hubbard was sidelined with a calf injury in Weeks 5 and 6, Dowdle took full advantage of his opportunity to serve as Carolina's lead back, amassing 473 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in wins over the Dolphins and Cowboys. In the two games since Hubbard returned, he alternated series with the offseason signing, but Dowdle has handily been the more productive back, averaging 5.3 yards on 25 carries compared to the incumbent's 2.5 yards on 26 carries. Though Hubbard may be on the field for the first snap Sunday in Green Bay, Canales' comments point to the touches tilting more dramatically in Dowdle's favor.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Alternates possessions with Hubbard
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Dowdle rushed the ball 17 times for 79 yards in Sunday's 13-6 win over the Jets. He added one reception on two targets for 17 yards.
Chuba Hubbard returned after a two-game absence and drew the start over Dowdle. The duo then alternated possessions, with Dowdle turning in the far more efficient performance by outgaining Hubbard, 96-48 in total yardage. Dowdle has certainly gained a more significant role in the Carolina offense with his strong showings across the last three weeks, though it doesn't appear the team is prepared to turn the backfield over to him fully at this point.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: No assurance of starting Week 7
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Panthers coach Dave Canales didn't answer Wednesday when reporters asked him if Dowdle will start Sunday's game against the Jets, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.
Chuba Hubbard (calf) returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant after Dowdle ran for 389 yards over the past two weeks. Hubbard was excellent last season and didn't do anything this September to warrant a benching, but the massive extent of Dowdle's recent production nonetheless creates questions about what the Carolina backfield will look like moving forward. The split for Week 7 won't necessarily be the split for the rest of the season, of course, and there may be room for multiple RBs to put up solid numbers against a subpar Jets defense.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Top DFS Play
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If Chuba Hubbard misses one more week, then we get Rico Dowdle at a (smaller) discount in a revenge game against the team that let him go this offseason. The Cowboys have given up 25.8 PPR FPPG to opposing running backs and 6.2 receptions per game to the position. Dowdle had 26 touches last week, and I would expect the Panthers to feed him again if Hubbard is out.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Spectacular in spot start
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Dowdle rushed 23 times for 206 yards and a touchdown and brought in three of four targets for 28 yards in the Panthers' 27-24 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Stepping into the lead-back role in place of Chuba Hubbard (calf), Dowdle exceeded all expectations in his first opportunity to helm the ground attack in Carolina. Dowdle repeatedly knifed the Dolphins' front seven for big gains, including 43- and 53-yard scampers. Dowdle's otherworldly performance raises an intriguing dilemma for head coach Dave Canales whenever Hubbard is healthy again, but the Panthers can certainly afford to give the latter time to fully heal, especially with Dowdle next getting a crack at the inconsistent defense of his former Cowboys squad in a Week 6 home matchup.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Set to start Sunday
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Coach Dave Canales said Dowdle will start Sunday against the Dolphins with fellow RB Chuba Hubbard (calf) ruled out for the contest, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Hubbard wasn't able to practice this week due to a lingering calf injury, and while he'll be inactive this weekend, Canales labeled him "day-to-day," meaning Dowdle's time as the Panthers' No. 1 backfield option may be contained to one game. In reserve role this season, Dowdle has averaged 3.0 yards on his 28 carries, hauled in five of six targets for 20 yards and scored a rushing touchdown in four games. Having said that, he racked up 1,079 rushing yards last year as the Cowboys' primary RB, so he can handle a large workload if needed. Trevor Etienne and DeeJay Dallas will be on hand for any reps that don't go to Dowdle.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Week 5 Waiver Priority List
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Dowdle continues to take work away from Chuba Hubbard, and Dowdle is worth stashing in all leagues for 1 percent of your remaining FAB. In his past two games against Atlanta and New England, Dowdle has combined for 19 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 6 yards on two targets. He has some lottery-ticket appeal if Hubbard were to miss time due to injury, and Dowdle is not a bad reserve to have on your bench in deeper leagues in case his touches increase moving forward. He's worth adding for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Underwhelms in Week 4
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Dowdle rushed nine times for 32 yards and caught his only target for minus-2 yards in Sunday's 42-13 loss to the Patriots.
The first-year Panther has now received double-digit touches in each of his last two games. Although Sunday's loss was a blowout, seven of Dowdle's 10 touches came in the first half while the game was still competitive, suggesting he's carved out a valuable role in Carolina's offense. However, he still worked behind Chuba Hubbard, who tallied 69 yards on 13 touches over 34 offensive snaps. Dowdle was also inefficient with the ball in his hands Sunday, averaging just 3.0 yards per touch. He's expected to continue serving as the Panthers' No. 2 running back ahead of a Week 5 matchup against the Dolphins.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Role keeps growing
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Dowdle recorded 10 rushes for 30 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 30-0 win over the Falcons. He added one reception on one target for eight yards as well as one kick return for 21 yards.
The Panthers enjoyed a blowout win, though that doesn't appear to be the only reason for Dowdle's increased usage. He was the exclusive running back on a possession that began late in the fourth quarter, which accounted for half of his carries and his touchdown, but Chuba Hubbard returned to the game on the following possession. Hubbard is still the clear lead back in Carolina, but Dowdle has seen his touch total increase every week of the season.
