Who Should I Start? Bucky Irving or Omarion Hampton

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.

Sunday, May 4, 1:49 PM

Los Angeles Chargers rookie first-round running back Omarion Hampton said on The Jim Rome Show that he believes he and Najee Harris can create "a dominant backfield" in 2025. "We know they're going to run the ball, so I'm loving it," Hampton said. The 22nd overall pick was a workhorse back in college at North Carolina and was incredibly productive for the Tar Heels with 2,033 scrimmage yards in 2024, which was the third-most in the nation. Although he won't be a workhorse immediately for the Bolts while sharing touches with Harris, Hampton should have plenty of fantasy upside immediately in a run-first L.A. offense. He averaged over 175 total yards per game in 12 contests in 2024 and was also the fourth FBS player with 1,500-plus rushing yards and 15-plus rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons since 2016.