Chuba Hubbard is back.
It's great news for the Carolina Panthers. But for anyone setting their fantasy football lineups, things just got very, very complicated.
That's because, in the two weeks Hubbard was out, Rico Dowdle was the best running back in football.
So what happens now?
Everyone in Carolina has said the "right things" this week. The RBs have said they don't care who the starter is. The coaching staff has suggested Hubbard will reprise a usual role for him while also acknowledging Dowdle has earned his time, too.
There's only one football, and there are only so many rushing plays.
The Panthers want to have both Hubbard and Dowdle available to them, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
"While Dowdle has earned a prominent role, I'm told the Panthers are taking the approach that both players will get their touches regardless of who gets the first snap," Fowler writes. "Both fit the Panthers' tough-minded, grind-it-out mold."
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That's not what fantasy football managers want to hear, but it's the most logical approach for Carolina.
"The Panthers want to be a run-first team, and since it's a long season, they will need both players," Fowler writes. "But the rotations will inevitably change due to Dowdle's star turn. Dowdle said the previous setup was that Hubbard got the first two series and Dowdle would get the third. Expect Carolina to tweak that to accommodate the prowess of both players. Hubbard rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, so he will remain a focal point."
It has the potential to look similar to a past Panthers backfield, when DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were splitting time in the Carolina RB role and both having big seasons at the same time.
Can both Hubbard and Dowdle get enough numbers to make them fantasy starters? It's hard to picture that right now.
But at least in Week 7, there's still a lot of unknown.
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