Welcome to Week 10 of the 2025 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.
This week's roundtable features these four topics:
- RB Rebound Candidate
- Can These RBs Keep It Going?
- Can These TEs Keep It Going?
- Hot Week 9 Performers
Let's roll...
Matt Waldman: These three RBs have been fantasy starters since Week 5 in October.
- Breece Hall (RB7)
- Rico Dowdle (RB3)
- D'Andre Swift (RB11)
Pick your best bet as the player who remains among the top 15 for the rest of the year?
Colton Dodgson: I think Rico Dowdle is the safest bet out of these three. Leading up to the season, I felt like he was the most underrated 1,000-yard rusher the league produced in 2024. I expected his dual-threat profile would translate to an immediate role alongside Chuba Hubbard in his new digs out of the gate.
That didn't happen. He didn't crack a 40 percent share of Carolina's running back snaps until Hubbard's injury kept him out for Week 5 against the Dolphins.
After seeing 34 combined opportunities over the first four games of the season, Dowdle logged 27 against Miami and turned the usage into 206 rushing yards – 134 over expected – and a touchdown. He chipped in with 3 catches for 28 yards just for good measure.
I've heard people embrace the idea of being so good at something that you can't be ignored. We've seen that play out here with Dowdle. Despite Dave Canales' attempt at returning to Hubbard as the lead back, he couldn't justify taking Dowdle off the field.
That makes sense. You probably shouldn't move away from the guy averaging +1.3 rushing yards over expected per carry – second only to James Cook – and +0.10 expected points added per carry.
Don't look now, but Carolina has won four of its last five and is a game over .500 after shocking the Packers' shareholders at Lambeau. Dowdle's 28 opportunities and a 38.9 percent pass rate in that game provided a pretty clear roadmap for how this offense wants to operate moving forward.
Mike Kashuba: Rico Dowdle might be a fantastic running back with a bad PR team. Someone, please, get him sponsored by Nike or something. He's 10th in the league in forced missed tackles, 4th in yards after contact per attempt, and has the 4th-most explosive runs. That's even though he was a part-time player for the first half of the season!
The Panthers are 31st in pass rate over expectation this season - in other words, they're running the ball at an insane rate and don't seem to care what the situation is; they'll still run it. They get the Saints twice, and Dowdle just put up a monster game against the Green Bay Packers, so Dowdle should have a great close to the season.
Will Grant: Even with the Jets playing like a team in the hunt for the 2026 No. 1 overall draft pick, Breece Hall is a must-start every week. He's averaging over five yards per carry as a runner and is usually suitable for a couple of catches out of the backfield every week as well.
At his current pace, he will finish with over 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career. Even if Garrett Wilson returns from injury, that should only improve Hall's chances to produce as opposing defenses won't be able to stack the box against him anymore.
The one thing limiting Hall's upside so far this season is his lack of visits to the end zone. Hall has eight or more touchdowns in his previous two seasons, but after eight games in 2025, he has just two.
That may pick up in the second half of the season, but even without his usual touchdown production, he will still be an every-week starter. Braelon Allen is on IR and will miss a good chunk of the season. It's hard to see the Jets wanting him to rush back if they are playing for pride.
Hall will be the primary back the rest of the way. I like Colton's choice of Rico Dowdle, but I think Hall is the guy I'd want on my fantasy team going forward.