Who Should I Start? Bucky Irving or RJ Harvey

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.

Friday, September 5, 12:37 AM

Although Denver Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey was drafted in the second round in April and impressed during training camp, he was listed as the RB2 behind J.K. Dobbins on the team's initial 2025 depth chart. Dobbins is expected to "start" the Week 1 season opener on Sunday against the Titans, but fantasy managers shouldn't read too much into that and should still consider the 24-year-old Harvey worth starting as an RB3/flex in his first NFL regular-season game. Denver is currently eight-point favorites at home against Tenneessee, a team that allowed 133.9 rushing yards per game (seventh-most) and 22.1 half-PPR points to RBs (10th-most) in 2024. Dobbins' presence surely lowers Harvey's fantasy ceiling, but the Central Florida product is younger, healthier, and has more home run potential. By season's end, Harvey is expected to take over the "starting" role from Dobbins.