There was no way the NFL was going to let Taylor Swift and her new album Midnights steal their thunder on Thursday Night Football, so the San Francisco 49ers shook both the real and fantasy football communities by acquiring all-pro running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for draft picks. No first-round picks changed hands, but the Panthers did receive a second, third and fourth-rounder for next year as well as a fifth-round pick in 2024. What they also got was a running back controversy that leaves fantasy football players wondering if it will be D’Onta Foreman or Chuba Hubbard who takes the reins of their backfield.

 

 

Which Panthers Running Back Should You Add from the Waiver Wire – D'Onta Foreman or Chuba Hubbard?

The safe money will likely be on Foreman to get the first opportunity. Drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft, the veteran running back has since bounced around from the Houston Texans to the Tennessee Titans until finally landing with the Panthers during the offseason. At six-feet tall, 235 pounds, Foreman had the size to be an imposing and bruising back, but he was also lauded for his speed and agility. Unfortunately, a torn Achilles during his rookie campaign derailed everything and he never really caught on as anything more than a complementary back. He wasn’t even viewed as a short-yardage, goal-line back because he didn’t run with the power commensurate to his size.

Things seemed to turn around for him last year when he filled in for Derrick Henry and we saw a stretch where he posted three 100-yard performance and scored three touchdowns over a four-game span. But that was it for Foreman and heading into the 2022 season, there weren’t many offers, this forcing him to sign as McCaffrey’s back-up. The small handful of touches he’s received this year tell us nothing, but Carolina uses a zone-blocking scheme that should cater to his ability to cut-and-run. Nothing crazy, and he needs to learn to be more patient at times, so be careful, but he’s not a square peg being forced into a round-hole system. If you are looking to add him this weekend, it will probably take a healthy FAAB bid somewhere in the 25-30-percent range, depending on people’s needs and remaining budget, but you need to temper expectations as the Panthers are still a hot mess with no legitimate quarterback.

Hubbard seems to be a solid choice as a complementary or change-of-pace back to Foreman. He doesn’t have the power or burst to rack up big yards after contact, so his between-the-tackles work will suffer, and when he filled in for McCaffrey last season, he didn’t exactly dazzle with his 3.4 yards per carry. He did get involved in the passing attack and that could be where he sees his biggest value-increase. He shouldn’t be added to your roster outside of PPR formats unless you are strictly adding him as a handcuff to Foreman and taking a wait-and-see approach. 

Given the state of the running back position, both Foreman and Hubbard should be owned by the time games start this weekend. If you are searching for someone on your roster to drop, keep this in mind. Neither Foreman nor Hubbard crack the top-25 at the position for NFL Week 7. If you are dropping someone like Kenyan Drake or Tyler Allgeier, then fine. We can accept that. But if your worst running back is somewhere around Brian Robinson or even Melvin Gordon, you might be better-served leaving them alone and let your competition fight it out.  There is value to be had, but not at the expense of potentially productive running backs with established roles. 

 

 

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