In a stunner, Carlos Hyde has been jettisoned to the Jaguars for a fifth round pick. That noise you just heard was everyone scurrying to their local waiver wire to check on Nick Chubb’s availability in their respective leagues — as he is available in 54 percent of leagues still. It’s not often that one can find a running back with legitimate RB1 upside at this point in the season, but that’s exactly what Chubb brings to the table as the Browns’ new workhorse.
Through six games, Chubb has flashed in a very limited role. The former Bulldog has totaled 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns on a paltry 16 carries. On the other hand, Hyde averaged 19 carries per game — which is in the ballpark of what we should expect out of Chubb as we move forward.
Outside of the season where he suffered a season-ending knee injury at Georgia, Chubb tallied over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns in college. Although I was personally lower on him than most of the industry due to his lack of pop against Alabama (compared to Sony Michel), he showed quickness and breakaway speed on his three carry, 105 yard outburst against the Raiders.
Even though Chubb will get the bulk of the carries, Duke Johnson is fantasy-relevant again. He should slide back into his third down role to take some heat off of the rookie and offers some Flex appeal for the rest of the season. Johnson only has 22 targets through six games, whereas he caught 74 balls on 93 targets in 2017.
Lock Nick Chubb in as your RB2 from here on out, and check your waiver wire since he’s still surprisingly still available in 54 percent of leagues. Duke Johnson is also a must-roster and is currently available in 59 percent of leagues.
Click here for analysis on Leonard Fournette and the Jaguars’ backfield.
