Why Chuba Hubbard may be better play than Rico Dowdle against Seahawks

ESPN’s preview for Week 17 includes all kind of information regarding every game. Later today, the Seattle Seahawks take on the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. ESPN Fantasy Analyst Eric Moody had his “nugget” on this clash of division leaders, which may also prove to be a big factor if Dave Canales’s team is going to snap the Seahawks’ current five-game winning streak.

“In the snap distribution between Panthers running backs Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard” explained Moody, Dowdle has handled the early-down work while Hubbard has played most of the third downs. Carolina now faces a tough Seattle in a game where the Panthers could be playing from behind. That would shift the offense toward the passing game, favoring Hubbard's role. Combined with the Seahawks allowing the fifth-most receiving yards to running backs, Hubbard might be the better play.”

The latter is significant considering Canales’s club could have trouble running the football against the league’s third-ranked rushing defense. The Panthers are averaging a solid 123.9 yards per game on the ground, while Mike Macdonald’s defenders are giving up just 94.1 yards rushing this season.