Carolina Panthers fantasy football outlook for Week 17 at Saints

Chuba Hubbard – Carolina Panthers RB

In easily his worst game as a starter, Chuba Hubbard rushed for only nine yards on six carries and was only targeted once in the passing game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Based on what we know about this coaching staff, I hesitate to pin these poor performances on Hubbard. He’s also a rookie that will have to do a ton of offseason work to get better and prove he belongs and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Carolina Panthers strengthen the backfield further in the wake of Christian McCaffrey’s ongoing injury problems.

Whether that’s via the draft or a free agent on the cheap, who knows? But the jury is still out as to whether Hubbard can potentially fill a starting role in the future.

Start or Sit Week 17? 

SIT.

Poor performances as of late, Cam Newton used as the ball carrier in the red zone and goal-to-go situations, the New Orleans Saints having a top-five run defense and being the No. 1 team against running backs in fantasy are all valid reasons to leave the rookie on the bench.

The Oklahoma State product might not see a ton of work anyway despite Matt Rhule wanting to implement a run-first scheme after firing offensive coordinator Joe Brady.