Who Should I Start? Breece Hall or Bucky Irving

Monday, March 31, 12:31 PM

New York Jets running back Breece Hall is used to being the team's featured back, but new head coach Aaron Glenn hinted that both Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis could be more involved in 2025 as part of more of a committee approach to the backfield. "I think, mentally, he's in a good place, but I would say that we have three running backs on this team that we're going to utilize as much as possible," Glenn said. The 23-year-old former second-round pick (36th overall) in 2022 out of Iowa State was a disappointment for fantasy managers as an RB1 in his third year in the league in 2024, as Hall went for 876 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 209 carries while also catching 57 passes for 483 yards and three more TDs in 16 starts. It might be that Hall simply needs to prove he's still the go-to back to the new coaching staff, but the addition of QB Justin Fields is also bad news for Hall's status as a sure-fire RB1 heading into 2025.

Monday, January 13, 12:53 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries during Sunday's playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. He also caught two passes for an additional six yards through the air. In the loss, Irving averaged his lowest yards per carry since Week 9 (excluding his injury-shortened Week 14), which is not an indictment on his performance but rather a testament to just how well he's been running the football lately. He carved out the lead-back role once again on Sunday, registering 17 carries to Rachaad White's one. White has essentially been delegated to pass-catching situations, and even then, he continues to lose opportunities to Irving. It has been fascinating to watch this backfield dynamic develop throughout the season, with White slipping way down from the RB1 tier in fantasy football while Irving becomes one of the top running backs in dynasty fantasy football (and a mid-range RB1 in redraft leagues, too). Barring an unexpected change or addition within the Buccaneers' backfield, Irving should remain their primary ball carrier entering 2025.