Who Should I Start? Bucky Irving or Ladd McConkey

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.

Friday, June 6, 7:53 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey dealt with multiple injuries last season, but still only missed one game during the regular season. The rookie wideout seemed banged up throughout most of the season, but still put up strong numbers. He finished with 1,149 receiving yards with 82 receptions and seven touchdowns in 16 games (14 starts) with the Chargers last season. Now, McConkey is focusing on the art of falling down in order to protect himself from injury. McConkey wants to learn how to fall safely to avoid serious injury and stay on the field as much as possible. It's nice to see such a young player taking care of his body this early in his career. McConkey was a stud last season and his value figures to only go up.