Rico Dowdle Records Twice As Many Carries As Chuba Hubbard

By Jody Smith | Updated on Mon, Dec 15 2025 4:08 AM UTC

Before their Week 14 bye, it looked like the Carolina Panthers were shifting to a committee backfield with Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard. But in Week 15, Dowdle out-carried Hubbard 16-8 and scored a TD to reclaim his status as Carolina's lead back. Neither back had much success against the Saints, who held the duo to a combined 3.25 yards per carry as New Orleans pulled off a 20-17 upset win.

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Dowdle drew the start and took the first carry of the game, but Hubbard debuted on Carolina's third play, rushing for a 4-yard gain.

Dowdle briefly exited on the first series, but ultimately returned and capped Carolina's opening drive with a 4-yard TD.

That rotation would stay in place for the rest of the game, with Dowdle seeing twice as many carries. Neither back was very involved in the passing attack.

PLAYER	SNAPS	ROUTES	RUSHES	TARGETS
Rico Dowdle	34	14	16	1
Chuba Hubbard	24	14	8	1

Dowdle caught his only target for a 5-yard gain, while Hubbard's line target resulted in a catch for 9 yards.

It was another low-volume effort from QB Bryce Young, who only attempted 24 passes and threw for 163 yards.

The Panthers had an opportunity to take control of the NFC South after the Falcons upset Tampa Bay on Thursday. But the Saints didn't cooperate and continued to play well on defense.

New Orleans also upset the Buccaneers last week and has won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

In Week 16, Carolina will host Tampa Bay for control of the division. The matchup should be a good one for the Panthers' RBs. Tampa Bay allows the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing RBs.

We had Dowdle ahead of Hubbard in our Week 15 PPR RB rankings, and the gap should be bigger in Week 16.

Dowdle should firmly be considered a mid-range RB2 against the Buccaneers, while Hubbard will be on the Flex radar in deeper leagues.

Jody Smith, Analyst

Jody Smith has been playing fantasy football for over 30 years, the last 15 as an analyst, writer, and editor. Jody's rankings have been among the most consistent, placing him inside the top-10 in multi-year accuracy.