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

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.

Saturday, September 6, 1:11 AM

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. is a promising fantasy option for his Week 1 matchup against the Washington Commanders. Coming off a solid rookie season in which he averaged 13.48 fantasy points per game, Tracy is ranked as the 22nd-best fantasy running back for the opening week. The matchup is favorable, as the Commanders' defense ranked 24th against fantasy running backs in 2024, giving up an average of 22.72 points per game. Tracy's high-volume workload, coupled with his role in the passing game, should provide a strong floor for fantasy managers. Given the porous Commanders' run defense, Tracy is a strong RB2 or FLEX play with a high ceiling.