Should Fantasy Football Managers Trust Rico Dowdle Once Chuba Hubbard Returns?

Rico Dowdle has been a fantasy football breakout star in Chuba Hubbard’s absence, but with Hubbard nearing a return, managers must decide whether Dowdle’s production is sustainable or simply matchup-driven.

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) seen during wam ups of a game between Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Over the past two weeks, since Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard suffered a calf injury, costing him the last two games, Rico Dowdle has stepped into his place and has been a fantasy revelation. In those two games, he has rushed for a ridiculous 389 yards and one touchdown, and has caught seven passes for 84 yards and another TD. That's a total of 473 yards from scrimmage and two TDs in just two games. This raises the question: Is this just a blip on the radar or a sign of things to come?

Rico Dowdle has more rushing yards in the last two weeks (389) than these RBs have the entire season:

- Saquon Barkley
- Bijan Robinson
- Jahmyr Gibbs
- Christian McCaffrey
- Chase Brown pic.twitter.com/FLv4VcjGH7

— Underdog (@Underdog) October 13, 2025

Can Fantasy Owners Trust Rico Dowdle?

First and foremost, we have to address the elephant in the room. There is a chance that Chuba Hubbard returns in either Week 7 or Week 8. If the team believed that the injury was more serious than that, they would have placed him on injured reserve. If Hubbard is not able to go in Week 7, there is no way we are taking Dowdle out of our lineups; however, that doesn't necessarily mean we can continue to expect him to produce like a high-end RB1. 

One thing that can't be ignored, and we mentioned this before each of the last two weeks, is that Dowdle has had two of the best possible matchups in the league the past two weeks. He faced off against the Miami Dolphins, who were going into the game had the worst rushing defense in the league, and followed that up with the Dallas Cowboys, who had the worst overall defense in the NFL.

This could easily be a case of an average player taking full advantage of massive volume and a great matchup. Next week, he will face off with the New York Jets, who are a middle-of-the-pack matchup and a solid measuring stick for Dowdle. Again, if Hubbard is out, we are locking him in to our lineups and trusting him regardless of the matchup. 

However, if Hubbard is back, then Dowdle becomes a very risky start. There is a real chance that this backfield isn't only split moving forward, but Dowdle could easily go back to taking a backseat to Hubbard for the foreseeable future. This could be a situation that becomes frustrating for both Hubbard and Dowdle owners. 

Verdict

This comes down to the health of Hubbard for us. If Hubbard is out, we still believe that Dowdle should be a very strong start. If Hubbard is back in action, we would bench Dowdle until we see how this backfield looks with Hubbard healthy in a post-Dowdle explosion era. We probably wouldn't start Hubbard in his first game back either if we can avoid it.