Carolina Panthers Chuba Hubbard, Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Gold
Though teammate D'Onta Foreman has operated as a workhorse back when healthy since the Carolina Panthers shipped away Christian McCaffrey for a bushel full of draft picks, it has been Chuba Hubbard that has been far more efficient. Week 14's game in Seattle was just the latest example and should lock in usage for the first round of the fantasy football playoffs and beyond.
Fewer Touches, More Efficiency
As the news carousel has continued to turn for the Panthers' quarterback position throughout the year, Sam Darnold looks to be the starter for the rest of the season, and we should heavily weigh the team's offensive game plan around these last two weeks. Over those two games (the team had a Week 13 bye), the team has the lowest passing play% in the NFL while gaining the second-most yards on the ground per game on the back of the fifth-most rushing EPA per play and the fourth-highest explosive rush%. Though both Chuba Hubbard and D'Onta Foreman have the same amount of 10+ yard rushes over that time period (four), Hubbard has done so on 14 fewer rush attempts while nearly matching Foreman's rushing yards and also adding a touchdown.
In the passing game, the running backs have also received very similar usage (15 routes for D'Onta, 12 for Hubbard), but the former Oklahoma State player has more efficient stats there as well, turning his three targets into a 3-25 total, as opposed to the one target for one yard that the perceived starting RB has earned.
Last week, Sunday's 30-24 win over the Seahawks gave us a further look into what we can expect from Chuba Hubbard stats as we head into the fantasy playoffs; he can be a top-24 PPR option in the league. He's still going to be splitting time, barring some unforeseen injury news, but with how the Panthers' roster is forcing them to move the ball on the ground, he will remain on the fantasy radar.
One of The Consensus Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15
It's clear that Carolina is going to be leaning on the running backs to carry the load throughout the rest of the season, so what does that mean for fantasy owners looking to earn a championship?
Starting in Week 15, they will face a Pittsburgh Steelers team that currently ranks 18th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to the running back position, coming fresh off of a game against the Ravens in which they allowed 215 yards on the ground to the Baltimore offense, in a game they were playing without Lamar Jackson. They will follow that up with a Week 16 game against the Lions that may have you thinking twice, as the latest stats against Detroit's run defense have looked rough, including a stifling performance against the Minnesota Vikings last week.
Finally, the team wraps up the majority of fantasy leagues' playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a matchup that seemed much more difficult on paper to open the season than it does right now, as they rank 15th in running back aFPA. In these teams' first game back in Week 7, Hubbard was in on only 23 snaps, turning his modest 11 touches into 73 total yards and a touchdown. It could have been even more if D'Onta Foreman wasn't asked to ice away Carolina's lead in the fourth quarter.
Hubbard should continue to play a healthy role and may be Week 15's most valuable fantasy football waiver wire pickup, contributing as a weekly flex value.
