Carolina Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard Misses Wednesday Practice

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard missed his fourth consecutive practice due to injury on Wednesday.

Sep 14, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers mustered their second win in three games on Sunday, taking down the Miami Dolphins behind a stellar performance from the run game. Backup running back Rico Dowdle emerged with significant production out of the backfield in Chuba Hubbard’s absence. 

The Panthers’ starting back missed Sunday’s game due to a calf strain, marking his first absence of the season. Entering Carolina’s Week 6 matchup versus the Dallas Cowboys, Hubbard’s status is up in the air once more. 

Wednesday marked the fourth consecutive Hubbard missed, casting doubt over his availability versus Dallas on Sunday. 

Despite missing the team session, Hubbard worked individually off to the side of practice, a good sign for his status going forward. The fifth-year back has recorded the majority of the volume out of the Panthers’ backfield to start the season, but Dowdle managed a dominant effort with an expanded role in Week 5. 

In four games, Hubbard has recorded 53 carries for 217 yards, adding 13 catches for 94 yards in the pass game. Here's a fantasy outlook on the remainder of the Panthers’ offense as Hubbard trends towards a potential absence in the second consecutive game. 

Carolina Panthers Fantasy Football Outlook

Oct 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) with the ball as Miami Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson (25) defends in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Should Hubbard miss Sunday’s game, Dowdle’s stock should be sky-high entering a favorable matchup versus a lowly Cowboys defense. In Week 5, Dowdle broke out with 23 carries for 206 yards and a touchdown on the ground. In the receiving game, he added three catches for 28 yards, an immensely encouraging performance for fantasy owners. 

His 206 yards broke Derrick Henry’s previous season-high mark of 169 rushing yards across the league. He finished Week 6 with 32.4 fantasy points, the highest mark of any running back and the third-highest mark for the position this season. 

A matchup versus Dallas presents another opportunity for efficient production with significant volume against Dowdle’s former team, adding to the optimism for another stellar fantasy performance this week. 

Behind Dowdle, rookie back Trevor Etienne emerged with four carries for 22 yards, his second straight game with multiple carries. The Panthers’ stout run game should free Dowdle up in a matchup versus the No. 23 run defense in the NFL. 

In the pass game, fellow Panthers stars Bryce Young and Tetairoa McMillan will likely post notable production versus one of the league’s worst all-around defensive units. Each of Carolina’s Week 6 ‘big-three’ in Dowdle, Young and McMillan are must-start options in fantasy this weekend.