Rico Dowdle Reportedly To Get 'Bulk' of Panthers' Carries vs. Packers Over Hubbard

The Carolina Panthers will give running back Rico Dowdle "the bulk of the carries" for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers, according to The Athletic's Joseph Person.

Person speculated that Chuba Hubbard will also be utilized, albeit in a lesser role.

Dowdle is Carolina's leading rusher with 605 yards and he's averaging more than two yards per carry (5.7) than Hubbard (3.6) through eight games.

The two have had an almost equal share of looks on the ground. Dowdle is averaging 13.3 attempts per game compared to 13.2 for Hubbard. Maintaining that split didn't make much sense when one is clearly outperforming the other.

It's true that two games account for a large share of Dowdle's overall total. He combined to run for 389 yards in a pair of wins over the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.

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Still, Dowdle retained a small edge over Hubbard in yards per carry when setting those two weeks aside.

Any change to the Panthers rushing attack will have an accompanying effect on fantasy football scoring.

Those who rostered Dowdle will feel more confident about his upside in Week 9, while those with Hubbard will wonder whether this is the end for him as a starting option in 2025.

There's a third door where the gap in their usage remains minimal and it makes them equally frustrating within a fantasy context.

Head coach Dave Canales is ultimately going to do what's best for the offense, and that might mean spelling Dowdle and Hubbard depending on the situation, much to the consternation of fantasy managers.