Analyze Chuba Hubbard's matchup for week 9
Chuba Hubbard is averaging 2.8 yards per carry since returning from a calf injury and faces the NFL’s second-stingiest run defense in Week 9; with backup Rico Dowdle outplaying him and Green Bay allowing just 48.5 rushing yards and zero rushing TDs per game, Hubbard is a clear sit.
The Packers enter Week 9 allowing a league-best 48.5 rushing yards per game and have yet to surrender a rushing touchdown, making them a nightmare draw for any back—especially one mired in a timeshare and averaging under three yards a carry. Hubbard’s 73-to-52 snap edge over Dowdle the last three weeks hasn’t translated to production: 65 yards on 26 carries (2.5 YPC) versus Dowdle’s 133 on 25 (5.3 YPC). Carolina coaches have publicly praised Dowdle’s “tempo and violence,” signaling a full-blown committee and capping Hubbard’s touch ceiling against a front seven that stonelines opposing ground games.
Over his last three games Hubbard has mustered only 65 rushing yards on 26 carries (2.5 YPC), failed to top 50 yards in any contest, and watched Rico Dowdle more than double his yardage on fewer touches while the coaching staff openly questions Hubbard’s role.
Long-term, the arrow is pointing emphatically down. Hubbard’s contract expires after 2025 and the front office used a fifth-round pick on change-of-pace back D’Onta Foreman last spring; combine that with Dowdle’s emergence and it’s evident Carolina is auditioning for 2026 backfield roles. Fantasy managers should treat Week 9 as a pivot point: stash higher-upside handcuffs (Zack Moss, Ty Chandler types) and view Hubbard only as an emergency bye-week plug until he proves capable of topping four yards a touch or the schedule softens post-Week 12. Against the Packers, neither condition applies—keep him glued to your bench.