Who Should I Start? Bucky Irving or Ashton Jeanty

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.

Monday, September 8, 3:52 AM

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty's NFL career started with a victory, though his efforts had little to do with the outcome. The Boise State product had 38 rushing yards on 19 carries and two receiving yards on two catches in the Raiders' 20-13 win over the Patriots in their 2025 season opener. Despite the disappointing stat line, fantasy managers should be encouraged by Jeanty's usage. The highly-touted rookie dominated the backfield opportunities, not only taking the lion's share of rushing attempts but finishing with an 86% snap share. Fantasy managers who took a chance on the sixth-overall pick from the NFL Draft might have to wait a bit longer before their investment pays off. Jeanty has a challenging matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.