Who Should I Start? Bucky Irving or Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Monday, November 10, 12:45 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that running back Bucky Irving's (foot, shoulder) injury is more of a shoulder issue than his foot injury. The head coach said, "Hopefully he's back soon," but Bowles is unsure if Irving will be ready to play in Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills. Fantasy managers were hopeful that Irving would be ready to roll coming off the team's Week 9 bye, but he was held out for a fifth straight game in the Week 10 loss to the New England Patriots. The 23-year-old is dealing with a shoulder subluxation and a mid-foot sprain, and he cannot be counted on to return this weekend for a showdown against the Bills. If Irving misses a sixth straight game, Rachaad White will once again "start," but Sean Tucker will continue to be involved in Tampa's backfield. Despite missing extended time this year due to multiple injuries, Irving must remain stashed in all fantasy leagues.

Saturday, November 8, 10:14 AM

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. remains the team's starter heading into Week 10 against the Chicago Bears, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka told members of the media. When asked about Tracy and Devin Singletary handling a roughly equal snap share last week, Kafka explained that snaps are allocated based on the flow of the game, and factors include players who are running well and whether a running back taps their helmet to come out of the game. He said that it's difficult to track running back snaps when a drive is moving quickly, and it's easier to monitor per quarter or per half. All of these comments seem to indicate that while Tracy will earn the start in Week 10, New York's backfield structure is dynamic. We could see Tracy lead the backfield in some weeks, Singletary in some weeks, and an even split from time to time. For now, Tracy remains the preferred Giants running back in fantasy football, ranking as a high-end RB3 against a solid Bears run defense.