Navigating fantasy football decisions can be tough, especially as team situations change throughout the season. Sometimes it’s time to question whether a once-essential running back still deserves a roster spot.
Roles and opportunities often shift, making certain players less valuable for now. This week’s updates give you plenty to think about before making your next fantasy football move.
Cut: Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Rostered: 82%
To be clear, you do not absolutely have to drop Chuba Hubbard. He remains the clear RB for the Carolina Panthers and would be startable in the event of a Rico Dowdle injury. Dowdle is currently not 100% healthy, either. He was on the practice report last week with a quad issue and was shown getting his quad stretched out on the sideline in between series on Sunday.
Hubbard is on the cut list because, right now, he has no fantasy value. The Panthers turned to Dowdle as their lead back. Even following a bad home loss to the New Orleans Saints, Dowdle certainly wasn’t to blame. He did his thing with 63 total yards and the team’s lone touchdown.
Dowdle’s role was essentially the same as it was during the two games Hubbard missed. He played 72% of the snaps, and it would’ve been even higher had he not checked out of the game for a brief period. Hubbard has now played only 21% of the snaps over the past two weeks. He is a pure handcuff and nothing more.
Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
Rostered: 85%
Similar to Hubbard above, you absolutely do not have to drop Jordan Mason. In fact, you shouldn’t unless you need the spot. But one thing we know for sure is that while Aaron Jones Sr. is healthy, Mason can no longer be started.
I really thought Mason would still be the lead runner with Jones as the passing-down back. Mason is probably still the goal line back, but the Minnesota Vikings’ offense isn’t good enough to make that matter all that much.
READ MORE: Fantasy Football Cut List Week 11: Chuba Hubbard, Chris Godwin, Brandon Aiyuk, and Others
This was no timeshare. Even with Jones coming off a shoulder injury, he saw his heaviest snap share of the season at 70%. Mason was down at 24%, unsurprisingly a season low for him. Better days are ahead, but at this point, Mason is nothing more than a Jones handcuff.
Nick Chubb, Houston Texans
Rostered: 54%
Game script continues to play a huge factor in who sees the field in the Houston Texans’ backfield. Even though the Texans were victorious over the Jacksonville Jaguars, they fell behind early and were chasing on the scoreboard the entire game. That led to Woody Marks dominating with 60 snaps to Nick Chubb’s 10.
MORE: Free Fantasy Start/Sit Optimizer
Impressively, Chubb still managed 47 yards on just five carries. But the lack of playing time is concerning. And the fact remains that the rookie is a vastly superior player at this point in each of their respective careers.
Chubb scored in Week 2 and Week 5. Outside of those two games, he’s failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in any contest.
Next week should be better against a very bad Tennessee Titans run defense. But that may just mean more for Marks. Either way, Chubb hasn’t done nearly enough to justify a continued spot on fantasy rosters outside of intense leagues.
