Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Appears set to lose work to Dowdle
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Head coach Dave Canales hinted Monday that Hubbard is likely to cede more carries to Rico Dowdle, 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."
Carolina has more of a financial commitment to Hubbard after inking him to a four-year, $33.2 million extension last November, but Dowdle's stellar results over the past four weeks have made it difficult for Canales to justify a two-pronged approach in the backfield. While Hubbard was sidelined in Weeks 5 and 6 with a calf injury, Dowdle racked up 473 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in wins over the Dolphins and Cowboys. The offseason signing has continued to thrive while being used in a timeshare with Hubbard over the past two games, averaging 5.3 yards on his 25 carries, more than doubling up the incumbent's average of 2.5 yards on 26 totes. Hubbard isn't expected to disappear from Carolina's game plan completely and could even continue to make what amount to ceremonial starts, but Canales' comments indicate that Dowdle is viewed as the team's clear top option on the ground heading into Sunday's game in Green Bay.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Records rush TD in loss
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Hubbard rushed 12 times for 34 yards and a touchdown and failed to bring in his only target in the Panthers' 40-9 loss to the Bills on Sunday. He also returned one kickoff for 27 yards.
Hubbard notably out-touched backfield mate Rico Dowdle by a 12-8 margin on the ground, and although the latter was the more efficient of the two by far, Hubbard was the only one of the two to get into the end zone. The fifth-year pro's three-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter marked his first time in the paint this season, and the two backs may continue working in a fairly close timeshare during a Week 9 road matchup against the Packers next Sunday afternoon.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Sleeper RBs
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Rico Dowdle should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues in Week 7 against Buffalo, but I like Hubbard as a flex as well. In his first game back from a two-game absence with a calf injury in Week 7 at the Jets, Hubbard had 14 carries for 31 yards and two catches for 24 yards on three targets. He played more snaps than Dowdle (38-33), which is something to monitor, and we should see an even split against the Bills. Buffalo is No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and twice this season, a pair of running backs have scored at least 10.8 PPR points against the Bills in the same game (New Orleans in Week 4 and Atlanta in Week 6). We could see Dowdle and Hubbard follow suit in Week 8.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Even split with Dowdle
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Hubbard recorded 14 rushes for 31 yards in Sunday's 13-6 win over the Jets. He added two receptions on three targets for 24 yards.
Hubbard returned from a two-game absence and drew every touch on Carolina's first offensive possession. He went on to alternate drives with Rico Dowdle for the entire game, which naturally led to a near-even split in touches. Hubbard was far less efficient, as Dowdle outgained him, 96-55. It remains to be seen if that affects Hubbard's usage moving forward, but he managed to maintain a significant role in Carolina's offense despite Dowdle's strong showing during his absence.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Lines up with starters Sunday
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Hubbard took the first warmup reps at running back with the Panthers' starting offense for Sunday's game against the Jets, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Meanwhile, Rico Dowdle lined up second in the order at running back, though it doesn't necessarily mean that Hubbard is in line to serve as Carolina's lead option on the ground in Week 7. While Hubbard was sidelined Weeks 5 and 6 due to a calf injury, Dowdle stepped in admirably and ran roughshod over the Miami and Dallas defenses, accruing 389 yards and a touchdown on 53 carries while adding seven receptions for 84 yards and another score. In light of Dowdle's pair of big performances, head coach Dave Canales was non-committal on a starting running back for the Week 7 contest, making it difficult to deploy either Hubbard or Dowdle with much confidence in terms of their projected workload.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Cleared for return
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Hubbard (calf) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at the Jets, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
The remaining question is how the Panthers split work between Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, the latter of whom ran for 389 yards over the past two games (both wins) while Hubbard was out. Head coach Dave Canales hasn't been helpful on that front, merely noting that Dowdle has earned the right to maintain a role. Dowdle already had a role, of course, getting between seven and 11 touches in Weeks 2 through 4 when Hubbard was the starter. In light of his consecutive big performances, Dowdle could take on a larger portion of the workload, but the Panthers probably won't provide hints on the specifics before Sunday's game.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Limited at practice again
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Hubbard (calf) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
Hubbard has now logged back-to-back limited practice sessions, and he said Thursday that he plans to suit up for Sunday's game at the Jets, per David Newton of ESPN.com. Rico Dowdle has been sensational as the Panthers' fill-in starter across the span of Hubbard's two-game absence, however, so it remains to be seen who backfield snaps will be divvied up if both players take the field Week 7. If Hubbard can upgrade to a full practice session Friday, he could avoid an injury designation entirely for Sunday's contest.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Aiming to play Sunday
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Hubbard (calf) said Thursday that he expects to suit up for Sunday's game at the Jets, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Following a two-game absence due to a calf injury, Hubbard got back on the practice field as a limited participant Wednesday and was donning full pads one day later. His activity level Thursday is unknown, but he appears to be trending toward a return to action this weekend. If the preceding comes to pass, the breakdown of RB reps between Hubbard and fill-in starter Rico Dowdle will be of interest considering the latter reeled off 473 yards from scrimmage and two total TDs on 60 touches while the former was sidelined.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Back in limited capacity
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Hubbard (calf) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday.
This marks Hubbard's first on-field work since Week 4 prep, as he sat out Weeks 5 and 6 due to a calf injury. Coach Dave Canales told Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday that Hubbard looked "great," but he likely will need to string together multiple practices in a row in order to put himself in a position to play Sunday at the Jets. Assuming Hubbard is back in action this weekend, the Panthers are expected to keep both him and Rico Dowdle, who has sprung for 473 yards from scrimmage and two total TDs on 60 touches the last two games, involved in the offense, though who would have the upper hand between them remains to be seen, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Seen at practice Wednesday
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Hubbard (calf) was present for the media-access portion of Wednesday's practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Hubbard initially came down with a calf injury during Week 4 prep but was able to suit up Sunday, Sept. 28 against the Patriots and log a 51 percent snap share en route to 13 touches for 69 yards from scrimmage. He then didn't practice at all the past two weeks due to the same health concern and was inactive Weeks 5 and 6, allowing fellow RB Rico Dowdle to rip off back-to-back monster performances on the ground. Hubbard taking part in drills Wednesday will be a step in the right direction, but it's unclear if he'd take on the largest share of Carolina's backfield reps whenever he's cleared for game action considering how well Dowdle has performed.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Ruled out for Week 6
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Hubbard (calf) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Dallas.
Hubbard missed every practice for a second straight week, leaving Rico Dowdle as the leader of Carolina's backfield after his 206-yard rushing performance in last Sunday's win over the Dolphins. Dowdle gets another favorable matchup this coming Sunday, facing his former team in a game that's tied for the second-highest over/under (49.5) of Week 6.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Not working in individual drills
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Hubbard (calf) wasn't taking part in individual drills during the early stages of practice Friday, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Hubbard didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, and with the running back trending toward another DNP on Friday, David Newton of ESPN.com notes that it doesn't look promising with regard to Hubbard's status for Sunday's game against the Cowboys. If he ends up deemed out for the contest, the stage would be set for Rico Dowdle to work as Carolina's lead back versus his former team.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Remains idle for practice
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Hubbard (calf) didn't practice Thursday.
Hubbard has now sat out five consecutive Panthers practices due to the calf issue, and unless he's able to end the trend and take part in Friday's session in some capacity, he looks set to miss a second consecutive game this Sunday against the Cowboys. His potential absence would clear the way for Rico Dowdle to get another turn as Carolina's lead back, after Dowdle amassed a career-high 234 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 26 touches in the Panthers' Week 5 win over the Dolphins.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Not expected to play Sunday
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Hubbard (calf) is expected to miss Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report.
After sitting out practices Wednesday and Thursday, Hubbard is trending toward being unavailable Sunday, an outcome that could be confirmed as soon as Friday, when the Panthers post their final Week 5 injury report. If Hubbard is indeed sidelined versus Miami, Rico Dowdle would likely be in line for a leading role out of the backfield, with Trevor Etienne and DeeJay Dallas also on hand as depth options.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Doesn't practice Thursday
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Hubbard (calf) didn't practice Thursday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Hubbard also tended to a calf injury last week, but he at least was able to be limited in practice Thursday and Friday before taking 13 touches for 69 yards from scrimmage on a season-low 51 percent snap share during a Week 4 loss at New England. With no practice reps to speak of so far this week, he'll have just one more chance to mix into drills Friday before the Panthers potentially provide some insight into his odds to play Sunday against the Dolphins. Rico Dowdle, Trevor Etienne and DeeJay Dallas are the current healthy options in Carolina's backfield.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: No practice Wednesday
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Hubbard (calf) didn't participate in Wednesday's walkthrough.
Hubbard capped last week with two limited practices due to a calf injury before being listed as questionable ahead of a Week 4 matchup with the Patriots. He proceeded to be active but earned a season-low 51 percent snap share on his way to 13 touches for 69 yards from scrimmage. Coach Dave Canales told Steve Reed of the Associated Press on Wednesday that Hubbard requires more time this week to recover from the calf issue and is "day-to-day." As a result, Hubbard's status bears watching as the weekend draws closer to get a sense of his odds to suit up Sunday versus the Dolphins.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Ready to go for Week 4
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Hubbard (calf) is active for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Hubbard was a limited participant in the Panthers' final two practices of Week 4 on account of the calf issue, but despite taking a questionable tag into Sunday, he looks like he'll be ready to handle his usual duties as Carolina's lead back. The 26-year-old has handled snap shares north of 60 percent in each of the Panthers' first three contests and has scored two touchdowns while averaging 80.7 yards from scrimmage on 17.6 touches per game.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: On track to play Week 4
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Hubbard (calf) is expected to play against New England on Sunday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Hubbard popped up on Thursday's injury report due to a calf injury, which limited his participation in the last two practices of the week. Hubbard and rookie first-round wideout Tetairoa McMillan (calf) are both expected to play in Sunday's road contest, though their statuses may not be officially known until the Panthers announce their inactive list approximately 90 minutes before their 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. Hubbard has opened the 2025 regular season with 43 carries for 168 yards (3.9 YPC) and 10 catches (on 14 targets) for 74 yards and two touchdowns through three games.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Listed as questionable
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Hubbard (calf) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against New England.
The Panthers added Hubbard to their injury report Thursday as a limited participant. He was limited again Friday, suggesting the injury probably isn't serious, although the failure to return to full participation leaves some question about his Week 4 status ahead of a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. Should Hubbard end up inactive, the Panthers will bump up Rico Dowdle to the starting lineup and Trevor Etienne to the No. 2 role.
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Panthers' Chuba Hubbard: Two touches in Saturday's loss
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Hubbard rushed twice for four yards and wasn't targeted in the Panthers' 20-3 preseason loss to the Texans on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers' lead back was out there with his first-unit mates for two series, but Hubbard was sparsely used. That was also the case in the preseason opener against the Browns, as keeping the versatile back healthy for Week 1 is clearly a top priority. Hubbard will share the backfield with Rico Dowdle this coming season, which will likely lead to at least a slight hit to the former's touches, but he should still be in line for a robust role as both runner and receiver.
