I am in a glass case of emotion right now. It is Week 17 of the NFL season, and like many other humans across this country…..I am about to fight for a championship in my Fantasy Football league. I am about to take my 10-4 squad into the final two weeks of this season, with the hope of coming away with my third title in the past six seasons. (A modern day dynasty, if you will).

It’s a situation that you would think I’d be excited about. BUT, after seeing the most recent news about one of my top players…..let’s just say that I couldn’t be more terrified for what’s ahead.

Sources: After rushing for 1,195 yards this season, Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard is being placed on injured reserve today due to a calf and knee injury. His impressive season now has come to an end. pic.twitter.com/pTNVeUZAJa

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 28, 2024

That’s right, sports fans; Carolina Panthers star RB Chuba Hubbard is reportedly being placed on IR to end the season. As Adam Schefter says in the tweet above, he will be ending the season with an impressive 1,195 rushing yards, to go along with his 10 TDs and 4.8 YPC.

THIS…..this is an issue for me. For the record, I hope for nothing but the best for Chuba. I’m not one of those people who bad mouths a player for getting hurt, or anything like that. But when it comes to my roster, and the humans that I have to replace him with…..it’s just not looking good for me. My title hopes are in JEOPARDY, all because of one unfortunate season-ending injury.

It is a BAD SPOT to be in. Scoring wise, Hubbard has put up a total of 220.1 PTS throughout the 2024 season. That is the THIRD MOST FANTASY POINTS scored on my lineup, right behind Ravens RB Derrick Henry (298.8) and Cardinals RB James Conner (228.5). He was, WITHOUT QUESTION, one of the main catalysts of my team’s success…..and now he’s gone.

The question that arises though is…..who can I put in to replace Chuba? Who on my bench, or even on the waiver wire, could even come CLOSE to that kind of production?

Well, this late in the season…..there’s not really much to choose from. This late in the season, depending on the type of league you are in, you are probably left with the bottom of the barrel when it comes to possible replacements. You’re probably left with the backups and the third strings of the world, who are just HOPING to get some playing time before the playoffs start.

Sure, you could go with a guy like Ameer Abdullah (which is who I’ll probably need to go with), who is only rostered in 30.5% of leagues on ESPN.com. As of writing this, the 31-year old running back is projected to score 9.6 points in his match-up against the New Orleans Saints. Not only that; he is also coming off of two very impressive outings against the Falcons and Jaguars, where he put up 16.1 and 17 points respectively.

If you want to be bold though, you could also try for a Jalen Coker, who is only rostered in 8.2% of leagues on ESPN.com. The rookie from Holy Cross will be heading to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers, and their 31st ranked pass defense on Sunday. The only issue I have with Coker though is that the Bucs still have something to play for, so Bryce Young and co. will be walking into a VERY hostile environment against a bunch of hungry DAWGS. If anything, the young wideout would probably need a BIG gain for a score to make him worth your while.

But if anything, I think it’s safe to say that if you’re in this spot with me…..then you might want to just start praying. You might want to start praying, and hoping that the rest of your team CRUSHES their respective projections. This is going to be a rocky road to the ‘ship, and if you weren’t lucky enough to snag JK Dobbins off of the waiver wire (who was activated by the Chargers as of writing this)….then you will probably be on the edge of your seat for the rest of the weekend.

It’s going to be a weird one. Here’s hoping for nothing but the best in your respective title match-ups. But as always, what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.