Chuba Hubbard is the trickiest name on this whole list, and that is exactly why he sits at No. 4 instead of higher. Two years ago, he looked like a locked-in RB2 with league-winning upside. One year ago, he was a frustrating drain on rosters who watched a journeyman leapfrog him. Heading into 2026, the truth is somewhere in the middle, and figuring out which version shows up is the fantasy question that could decide a few of your drafts.
Before you write Hubbard off because of last season, remember what he did the year before. In 2024, he got the runway he had been waiting for and turned it into the best season of his career. Across 15 starts, he piled up 1,195 rushing yards, added 171 through the air, and found the end zone 11 times. That is 1,366 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns on 293 touches, the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career and the kind of workload that plays every single week in fantasy.
The Panthers noticed too. On November 7, 2024, right in the middle of that breakout, Carolina handed him a four-year, $33.2 million extension with $15 million guaranteed. Teams do not pay backup money like that. They pay it to a back they want carrying the offense. That contract is the single most important fact on Hubbard’s fantasy profile, because it tells you the organization still sees him as the lead man no matter what happens next.
Now the ugly part. Hubbard’s 2025 was a wreck, and fantasy managers who spent an early-round pick felt it. A calf injury cost him time out of the gate, and while he was down, Rico Dowdle grabbed the job and refused to give it back. Dowdle ripped off multiple 200-plus scrimmage-yard games and turned what should have been Hubbard’s backfield into a timeshare that never tilted back his way.
The counting stats show the damage. Hubbard finished with just 134 carries for 511 rushing yards and a single rushing touchdown. He was more useful as a receiver than a runner, catching 30 of 36 targets for 223 yards and 3 scores, but that is a thin line for a back drafted to anchor a rushing attack. He did flash in the playoffs, punching in two rushing touchdowns on 13 carries in the Wild Card loss to the Rams, a reminder that the goal-line role can still belong to him.
Here is the part that should calm you down. An early injury and one hot backup sank his 2025, not any drop in his own ability. Both of those problems are gone now.
This is where Hubbard climbs back up the board. Rico Dowdle, the man who ate his lunch all last season, is gone. He signed with Pittsburgh in free agency, and with him goes the biggest obstacle between Hubbard and a true workhorse role. Carolina did not replace him with another starter. They brought in AJ Dillon, a short-yardage bruiser, and they get Trevor Etienne back in a change-of-pace role. Neither one profiles as a guy who steals 15 touches a week.
The one name to watch is Jonathon Brooks, our No. 5 on this list. Brooks has been cleared by his surgeon after a second ACL tear wiped out his 2025, and he says he feels close to 100 percent. He is participating in the offseason program and will get a shot to carve out a role in Dave Canales’ offense. That is real, and it is the ceiling-capper on Hubbard’s outlook. But asking a back to come off two ACL tears on the same knee and reclaim a big workload right away is a tall order. Until Brooks proves he can hold up, the volume runs through Hubbard.
The fantasy verdict
Put it together and Hubbard is a classic bounce-back bet. He has a proven three-down profile, a contract that guarantees the coaching staff wants him featured, a vacated 200-touch role sitting right in front of him, and pass-catching chops that give him a PPR floor even in weeks the rushing lanes are clogged. The pitch is simple: you are buying a back who posted an RB2 season on 293 touches, at a discount created entirely by an injury and a departed backup.
The risk is just as clear. If Brooks is truly healthy, this could become a committee again, and Hubbard’s ceiling gets shaved. That is why he is No. 4 and not the top of the list. But at his likely draft cost, that is a bet worth making. Target him as a high-end RB3 with weekly RB2 upside, and if Brooks looks shaky in camp, feel good about bumping him up. In a Panthers offense that leaned on the run to keep games close, the lead job here still carries real fantasy weight.
Check back tomorrow for No. 3.
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