You came to the right place for all of your fantasy football start/sit needs. Week 17 will help determine the winner of the NFC South as the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers square off. We’re here to project how the tough decisions will play out so you can bring home your fantasy league trophy.
Two key playmakers to watch this week between the Panthers and Buccaneers are running backs D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard. Let’s dive into whether you should start either player against Tampa Bay.
Should You Start D’Onta Foreman vs. the Buccaneers?
The Panthers’ decision to trade Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers has been a fruitful one for both teams. McCaffrey is third in the NFL in rushing since arriving in the Bay Area, and the Panthers have found a ground-and-pound offense on the shoulders of Foreman. Foreman has 811 yards on the season despite logging only 37 yards through Week 6.
There’s no question Foreman and the Panthers’ running attack is either hot or cold. There’s no in-between in the majority of games, with Foreman landing between 24 yards and 113 yards only once out of his last nine games. He has three games under 25 yards, and the rest have been at 113 or more.
In their first matchup, Foreman picked apart the Buccaneers’ staunch run defense, gashing the unit for 118 yards on 15 carries. It was Foreman’s breakout with the Panthers, setting the tone for the rest of the season.
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It’s now hard to imagine Foreman won’t be treated as a solid starter in his upcoming free agency tour.
Tampa’s run defense has also run hot and cold, either giving up a massive number of yards, including four games with at least 173 yards, or the seven games under 78. It’s a little bit of guesswork as to when either of these teams will play their best because each has been inconsistent, even in favorable matchups.
Let’s assume Foreman has a solid game, which would put him somewhere between 70 and 113 yards. He has five touchdowns this season, but those came across three games.
Considering he has low red-zone value and just five receptions all year, Foreman is a fine but risky Flex play this week. I’d be comfortable with his ceiling but prefer to get someone with either a higher floor or ceiling since Foreman is a low-floor, medium-ceiling player.
Should You Start Chuba Hubbard vs. the Buccaneers?
Instead of being a traditional RB2 who complements Foreman, Hubbard is more of a replacement for Foreman. Hubbard has only 71 rush attempts and 11 receptions on the year, making him a sparkplug Carolina occasionally unleashes. Both backs had over 100 yards last week, making it the third time in the last four games the two had respectable stat lines.
Hubbard has three of his highest rushing outputs, even while Foreman has stacked 100-yard performances. The two can co-exist despite the surprising setup, making this arguably the league’s strongest rushing game at this point in the season. They can both be successful against Tampa Bay once again.
In Week 7 against the Buccaneers, Hubbard had 63 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards on 11 touches. I’d expect a similar workload this week but whether he’ll be as efficient is less certain. Like Foreman, Hubbard’s lack of scoring upside and receiving involvement are limiting his upside.
With only two touchdowns all season, I can’t recommend starting Hubbard unless you’re desperate for a back or Flex option for your lineup. Maybe injuries have led you here, but I’d explore the waiver wire before forcing Hubbard into starting. His scoring upside simply isn’t enough to risk.
