Carolina has some choices to make.
Panthers' plan for RB depth chart revealed with Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Rico Dowdle has forced the Carolina Panthers to make a choice.
Whenever Chuba Hubbard returns from injury, there's officially a RB depth chart controversy in Charlotte.
Hubbard has been out with a calf injury. In two games without Hubbard, Dowdle has totaled 389 rushing yards on 53 carries, along with solid receiving numbers.
So what happens next?
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Will Chuba Hubbard or Rico Dowdle be starting RB for Panthers?
The Panthers want to have both Hubbard and Dowdle available to them, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
"While Dowdle has earned a prominent role, I'm told the Panthers are taking the approach that both players will get their touches regardless of who gets the first snap," Fowler writes. "Both fit the Panthers' tough-minded, grind-it-out mold."
That's not what fantasy football managers want to hear, but it's the most logical approach for Carolina.
"The Panthers want to be a run-first team, and since it's a long season, they will need both players," Fowler writes. "But the rotations will inevitably change due to Dowdle's star turn. Dowdle said the previous setup was that Hubbard got the first two series and Dowdle would get the third. Expect Carolina to tweak that to accommodate the prowess of both players. Hubbard rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, so he will remain a focal point."
It has the potential to look similar to a past Panthers backfield, when DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were splitting time in the Carolina RB role and both having big seasons at the same time.
But whenever Hubbard is back, that first week will be quite the mystery of not really knowing what is going to happen until the Panthers take the field.
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