Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Bucky Irving

Friday, June 13, 12:53 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (knee) was one of the few high-profile veterans who took part in 11-on-11 situations during offseason workouts in recent weeks, according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows. McCaffrey wanted to test himself after last year's injury-plagued season in which he dealt with Achilles and knee injuries that limited him to just four games played. "I wanted to put myself in a position where I didn't miss a day of OTAs and I could practice and play football again and be healthy again and not miss a day. And I did that. And now we can kind of kick back up to training again," McCaffrey said. After being the biggest fantasy bust in 2024, CMC has dropped to the RB6 in RotoBaller's 2025 fantasy rankings at the position. He's once again a risk/reward pick, having played fewer than eight games in three of the last five seasons.

Thursday, June 26, 6:10 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving, who is expected to see more opportunities in 2025, has improved his footwork and pass protection, according to head coach Todd Bowles. "He got to where he needed to be, but his footwork wasn't always the cleanest last season," Bowles says. "He's cleaned that up." Despite only "starting" three games in 2024, Irving finished as the RB13 in point-per-reception scoring in fantasy in his rookie season by racking up 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 207 rushing attempts. He added 47 receptions on 52 targets for 392 yards through the air. The 22-year-old makes up for his lack of size and athleticism with excellent vision and a knack for breaking tackles in open space. The primary concern with Irving as it pertains to being a true RB1 is the question of whether he can be a true workhorse back and withstand all the physical punishment between the tackles.