Carolina Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard was better than fantasy football managers might have realized last season. Currently, without any new threat to his job, is Hubbard being overlooked in Best Ball drafts?
Chuba Hubbard’s 2024 Fantasy Outlook
There’s nothing that can happen that would make someone excited to draft Hubbard. He’s not an exciting player. But what if I told you Hubbard was sneakily one of the savviest picks you could make in 2024 fantasy drafts?
We still have the NFL Draft to come. As always, that could shake things up. But right now, Hubbard is poised to be the lead back on what can’t possibly be a worse Panthers offense.
You may look at Hubbard’s 10.7 fantasy points per game from last season and not be impressed. You certainly won’t find anything that stands out with Hubbard’s efficiency metrics. He averaged 3.0 yards created per touch (outside the top 40) and just 3.8% of his carries went for 15+ yards (outside the top 30) to name a couple. What you will find is a running back who was really solid over the second half of the season.
The Panthers signed Miles Sanders to be an upgrade on Hubbard. I’m not exactly sure why they thought Sanders would be an upgrade, but suffice it to say, it didn’t take long for the team to turn back to Hubbard.
In games where Hubbard played at least 60% of the snaps, he averaged 13.5 fantasy points per game. He even threw in two games of 20.2 and 22.4 fantasy points. Hubbard was a solid fantasy RB2.
Should You Draft Hubbard in 2024 Best Ball Leagues?
Likely because Hubbard is not an exciting player, he’s being drafted outside the top 36 running backs in Best Ball. I completely understand wanting to chase more upside than what Hubbard provides. But unless Hubbard loses his job, I don’t see how he isn’t a top-36 running back.
Sometimes, Best Ball drafters get caught up in the ceiling. They want players who can blow up any given week. There’s value in the floor guys — in the guys that provide a weekly safety net. That’s Hubbard. He’s not going to win leagues, but he’s unlikely to fail.
READ MORE: Best Ball Fantasy RB Rankings 2024
Fantasy managers who lean heavily on wide receiver early, possibly going with a Hero RB build, should look for a guy like Hubbard to round out their backfield.
By way of comparison, Hubbard is going 17 positional spots lower than Tony Pollard. Are you sure Pollard will be a better fantasy running back than Hubbard this season? I’m not.
After the NFL Draft, if the Panthers don’t take a Day 2 running back, Hubbard’s cost will likely increase. That makes him an appealing target right now.
