Panthers' Chuba Hubbard Reportedly Expected to Miss Dolphins Game with Calf Injury

The already-struggling Carolina Panthers offense will be down a key playmaker, as Chuba Hubbard will likely miss Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Hubbard is expected to be held out due to a calf injury.

The news isn't a huge surprise considering Hubbard has missed Carolina's practices on Wednesday and Thursday so far this week. The Panthers will have one more session on Friday before releasing their final injury report.

Given the fickle nature of calf injuries, though, Hubbard's long-term outlook will be worth monitoring.

Per The Athletic's Joseph Person, the Panthers are taking a "week to week" approach with Hubbard and don't plan to place him on injured reserve at this point.

An IR stint would keep Hubbard out for at least four games. His calf started acting up leading up to last week's loss to the New England Patriots. He popped up on the injury report three days before the game as a limited practice participant.

Even though Hubbard was able to go against the Patriots, he was on the field for a season-low 50.7 percent of their offensive snaps. The Oklahoma State alum had his lowest output of the season with 69 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches.

The loss of Hubbard for one game takes a huge component out of the offense for head coach Dave Canales. He leads the team in touches (66), yards from scrimmage (311) and is tied for the lead in total touchdowns (two) through four games.

Rico Dowdle will get the likely receive the bulk of the carries for the Panthers if Hubbard is unable to play. The 27-year-old has 83 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries.

The Panthers are looking to rebound from a 42-13 loss against the Patriots. They will host the Dolphins at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.