It’s been a year to forget for fans and players of the Carolina Panthers, who are sitting at 1-11 and at risk of landing a top pick they won’t control in 2024. That’s because Carolina’s first-round pick was dealt to the Chicago Bears in last year’s deal that ultimately landed them quarterback Bryce Young, which means that the Bears could well land two picks at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft. Nonetheless, one member of the Panthers roster hasn’t been a major disappointment this season, as third-year running back Chuba Hubbard out of Oklahoma State has emerged as a fantasy football sleeper in 2023.
Year after year, we see our fantasy leagues taken down by a late-round stellar pick or an incredible mid-season pickup to help propel them to the championship. As we move into the typical Fantasy Playoffs period for most leagues, BetCarolina.com - your home for NC sports betting news and updates - utilized FantasyData.com to compile the current fantasy rankings of RBs after Week 13 of play in a standard PPR league and then found the ADP fantasy rankings for a standard PPR league prior to the season.
Backs were only included if they were in the Top 60 in original ADP rankings.
Top 2023 Fantasy Football League Winners: Running Back
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Where Hubbard Ranks Among NFL Fantasy Backs
Among all qualifying running backs in the league, Hubbard has gained the third-largest increase in fantasy output rankings since the start of the season, going from being the No. 58 ranked running back to the 28th spot this week. Overall, the +30 ranking that Hubbard has seen this year ranks third among all NFL backs, behind Rasheem Mostert of the Miami Dolphins, who gained 45 spots after averaging 17.9 fantasy points per game this season, as well as Gus Edwards of the Baltimore Ravens, who gained 37 spots leaguewide (from No. 59 to No. 22) by averaging 12.0 fantasy points per game in 2023.
Hubbard beat out Brian Robinson Jr. of the Washington Commanders (+27 spots), Isiah Pacheco of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Pittsburgh Steelers back Jaylen Warren (+21 spots apiece) among the NFL’s biggest movers on fantasy boards, showing how far the 24-year-old has come in the Queen City this fall.
Although the Panthers have disappointed this year, the progress on sports betting in the Tar Heel State has not. Follow BetCarolina.com for all of the best North Carolina sportsbook promos as they become available in the not-so-distant future.
