Who Should I Start? Chase Brown or Bucky Irving

START

Week 1 Projections

Fant. Pts.	Rush. Yds.	Rush TD	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Rec TD
15.5	57.7	0.4	3.7	24.3	0.2

Chase Brown News

Chase Brown a Locked-in RB1 for 2026

Friday, July 3, 5:13 AM

It took Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown until Week 7 of the 2025 season to post a weekly fantasy finish inside the top 20, but from that point forward, he never looked back. Brown finished as the RB19 or better in each of his final 11 games, only twice finishing outside the top 15. The team's mid-season trade for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco helped to steady a faltering offense without three-time Pro Bowler Joe Burrow, and Brown was perhaps the biggest benefactor, finishing as the RB7 from that point forward. With Burrow at full health and Flacco back under contract to back him up, Brown's high floor remains very much intact, while a projected philosophical shift could help to raise his ceiling in 2026. Brown was one of the league's most explosive runners when the team went under center, but with the Bengals ranking 31st in the league in that category, he rarely had the opportunity to take advantage. Reports out of minicamp have suggested that the team could mix in more under-center runs, and even a modest increase, along with the offensive consistency allowed by the presumed health at quarterback, could have Brown flirting with a top-five finish. Heading into the year, he is RotoBaller's RB10, and drafters should again feel comfortable making Brown their RB1 in 2026.

Bucky Irving - Tampa Bay (RB)

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant. Pts.	Rush. Yds.	Rush TD	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Rec TD
12.7	56.8	0.3	2.3	19.1	0.1

Bucky Irving News

Can Bucky Irving Return to His Rookie Season Form?

Sunday, July 5, 6:04 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving has become one of the most divisive players in 2026 drafts. After a breakout rookie season in 2024 saw him rack up almost 1,600 yards on his way to an RB14 finish, foot and shoulder injuries, as well as reported off-field struggles, limited him to only 10 games in 2025. Returning to action in Week 13 after an eight-week absence, Irving looked like a shell of himself, unable to top four yards per carry in any of his final six games. On the season, his 3.4-yard-per-carry average was down a full two yards from his rookie season, and while he was able to provide 6.1 half-PPR points per game strictly through the passing game, more than 67% of that production came in the first four weeks of the season. Following offseason shoulder surgery, the bull case for Irving is that he can return to the efficiency of his rookie season and the start of 2025, when he was the RB10 through the first four weeks. His detractors will point to the two-year, $14 million deal given to Kenneth Gainwell as evidence that Irving's fantasy-friendly usage in the passing game is set to take a meaningful hit. Those conflicting opinions have him coming off the board around RB24 by current ADP, providing his believers the opportunity to snag him at a discount in hopes of what could be a league-winning bounceback season.

Chase Brown vs. Bucky Irving

Still trying to decide between Brown and Irving? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Chase Brown is projected to score 15.5 points this week while Bucky Irving is projected to score 12.7 points.