Start Chuba Hubbard over Jacory Croskey-Merritt — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Hubbard's Third-Down Role Separates Two Shaky Lead Backs

Both backs carry early-down volume for offenses that aren't scoring much, but Hubbard is the one Carolina keeps on the field on third down. That receiving work gives him a weekly floor Croskey-Merritt simply doesn't have, even though the raw point gap here isn't huge. Croskey-Merritt's contact balance plays fine between the tackles, but a passing game that barely uses him means one quiet red-zone trip and he's out of the box score. Both carry the same questionable tag, so availability is the wildcard for either.

What flips it: Hubbard's questionable tag turning into an out while Croskey-Merritt clears his.

AI editor

Chuba Hubbard

RB34CARvs CHI

9.010.211.5 Projected Points

Toss-Up

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

RB41WSHvs PHI

7.37.88.3 Projected Points

Sit

Why Chuba Hubbard

Toss-Up

RB1 and lead back. One-cut zone runner with steady passing-down usage and receiving production.

Toss-up — RB34 consensus, projects RB29 this week: 9% target share in 2025, Questionable on the latest report.

His third-down and passing-down usage gives him a scoring path even if Carolina stalls on early downs.
Still the unquestioned lead back in Carolina's plan, which matters more than the sluggish implied total suggests.

Why Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Sit

Lead back and volume runner. Decisive one-cut rusher with tackle-breaking contact balance; limited passing-game work.

Sit — RB41 consensus, projects RB42 this week: 3% target share in 2025, Questionable on the latest report.

Near-zero target share means his workload is almost entirely early-down carries, capping his ceiling if Washington trails.
Tackle-breaking style keeps him viable in short-yardage work, but that alone isn't enough to clear sit-lean territory.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Chuba Hubbard	Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Projected points	9.010.211.5	7.37.88.3
Consensus rank	RB34	RB41
Opponent vs position	CHI · 12 of 320-game sample	PHI · 19 of 320-game sample
Rushing Yards	23 of 32	17 of 32
Rushing TDs	4 of 32	19 of 32
Rushing Attempts	16 of 32	23 of 32
Receptions	12 of 32	9 of 32
Receiving Yards	10 of 32	26 of 32
Anytime TD	9 of 32	20 of 32
Target share	9%(2025)	3%(2025)
Reception share	10%(2025)	3%(2025)
Implied total · spread	21.0+2.5	20.5+5.5
Depth chart	RB1	RB1
Snap share	46%(2025)	40%(2025)
Injury designation	Questionable	Q