Chuba Hubbard vs Dylan Sampson: Who Should You Start?
Chuba Hubbard and Dylan Sampson are both viable fantasy running backs heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. Chuba Hubbard averaged 7.4 PPG across 15 games with the Carolina Panthers, while Dylan Sampson posted 4.7 PPG in 15 appearances for the Cleveland Browns.
A 2.7-PPG gap gives Chuba Hubbard the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Both profile as early-down workhorses. Chuba Hubbard ran for 511 yards and 1 touchdowns; Dylan Sampson posted 175 and undefined. Goal-line share, red zone touches, and which team is favored are usually the tiebreaker when neither back offers passing-game volume.
Chuba Hubbard has his bye in Week 11, and Dylan Sampson rests in Week 10. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at running back for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
