Will Panthers soon have 'two-headed monster' in backfield?

The Carolina Panthers have a quandary at running back.

Starting RB Chuba Hubbard is expected to return in Week 7 against the New York Jets after missing the past two games with a calf injury. While he was on the bench, RB2 Rico Dowdle erupted, rushing for 389 yards and one touchdown in wins over the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys.

Now that Hubbard — who rushed for a career-high 1,195 yards last season — is set to return to the lineup, he could take carries away from Dowdle, potentially making Carolina's rushing attack less effective. The South Carolina product, though, believes they can make it work. 

Could Panthers soon have dynamic duo in Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard? 

During his Wednesday news conference, Dowdle said, "The two-headed monster is better than one." 

"All that stuff is left up to the coach, and then the only thing we can control is going out there and producing at a high level," he said. "That's all we really have to control. We are pretty close and there's no hard feelings either way." 

Through its first four games, Carolina averaged 100.3 rushing yards per game. With Dowdle as the RB1, it averaged a whopping 227.5 rushing yards per game. 

Head coach Dave Canales now plans to try to figure out a way to maximize the RBs to keep the ground game rolling. 

"It's a great opportunity for us to look at both guys and to find a way for them to help the team," the coach told the media on Wednesday.

That includes plenty of Dowdle after he became the fifth player in NFL history to run for 200 or more yards in consecutive games, per ESPN's David Newton. 

"He's earned the right to help this team, and he will, and we'll find a way to do that," the coach said. "How do we do that specifically? I don't want to share those details."

Canales, keeping his RB plans close to his vest, may upset fantasy players who recently added Dowdle. But it's wise not to reveal too much. 

He knows if his plan works, the surging Panthers (3-3) may suddenly have a backfield tandem that scares opposing defenses.