Who Should I Start? Brian Robinson Jr. or Bucky Irving

Saturday, September 13, 1:14 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. may see an uptick in usage when the team faces the Saints on Sunday. With quarterback Brock Purdy (toe, shoulder) out, wide receiver Jauan Jennings (shoulder) questionable, and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) on injured reserve, San Francisco is short on playmakers. In Week 2, San Francisco may prefer to grind things out on the ground now that Mac Jones is under center. If that's the case, Robinson should mix in regularly in order to avoid overworking Christian McCaffrey (31 touches in Week 1). Robinson projects as an RB4 in Week 2. While he is not a must-start, he is a viable flex in deeper leagues and should be rostered in most leagues.

Tuesday, September 16, 12:19 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was busy Monday night against Houston, handling 17 carries for 71 yards while adding six receptions for 50 yards in the pass game. Irving was the engine of Tampa Bay's offense against Houston's stout defense, consistently making defenders miss and finding positive yardage. The star's second year back forced 11 missed tackles, including five on receptions in Monday night's game, the most in his career, according to NFL Pro. Mayfield was under a ton of pressure and took four sacks overall against one of the league's best pass rush groups, and he often resorted to Irving as a safety valve. Rachaad White handled more work than he did in Week 1 and ended up scoring the game-winning touchdown after Mayfield drove them down to the goal line. Otherwise, Irving still had a highly productive fantasy outing and remains Tampa Bay's lead back. He should be viewed as a rock-solid RB1 moving forward with his high-value touch role.