Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones Sr. or Bucky Irving

Saturday, September 6, 3:47 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. should be viewed as a flex/RB2 candidate as his team takes on the Chicago Bears in Week 1. A polarizing mid-round draft pick, the veteran back is one of the bigger wild cards in fantasy this season. Jones is a strong receiver who caught 50 passes in addition to surpassing 1,000 rushing yards last year and plays on a capable offense that rebuilt its interior line, but is now 30 years old, playing alongside a first-time starting quarterback, and most importantly, now sharing touches with Jordan Mason, whom the Vikings acquired this offseason. Though a rotation is likely, Jones is still the team's best pass-catching back and should continue to get a steady volume of receiving targets, which will be especially valuable in PPR formats.

Saturday, September 6, 12:03 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving heads into 2025 with a chip on his shoulder and breakout potential. The former fourth-round pick says he still draws motivation from his draft-day slide: "I kept that anger and used it as motivation. I was pissed. I was waiting for three days, so just being there and seeing everybody get drafted, it lit a fire in me." That fire fueled an electric finish to his rookie year. From Week 13 on (excluding the Raiders game he exited early), Irving averaged 20 attempts for 123.3 scrimmage yards and scored five touchdowns in eight games, scoring 17.6 half-PPR fantasy points during that span. Now entering his second season, Irving is being hyped as a prime breakout candidate in 2025. With clear RB1 usage and the Buccaneers' offense leaning on his explosiveness, he'll look to pick up right where he left off when Tampa Bay opens against the Atlanta Falcons.