Who Should I Start? Jaleel McLaughlin or Bucky Irving

Tuesday, December 30, 11:06 PM

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin has been more involved in Denver's offense since J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending foot injury, but it hasn't exactly given him legitimate standalone value in fantasy football. The 25-year-old had a season-high seven rushing attempts for a season-high 40 yards (5.7 yards per carry) in the Christmas Day win over the Kansas City Chiefs while playing a season-high 22% of the snaps. It was a bigger workload for McLaughlin, but rookie RJ Harvey still had double the carries for 43 yards and caught five of six targets for 33 yards and a touchdown in Week 17. Head coach Sean Payton is going to keep McLaughlin involved as the Broncos look to spark their ground game, but he's going to remain in a complementary role behind Harvey, who is the better all-around athlete. He'll be hard to trust as a flex option in Week 18 against the Chargers, even in deeper leagues.

Wednesday, December 17, 10:13 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving took on the majority of the workload in Week 15, totaling just 71 scrimmage yards on 17 attempts. Since returning from shoulder and foot injuries in Week 13, Irving has totaled 233 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 53 attempts, averaging 13.4 PPR points per game. While he started the season as the primary workhorse in this Buccaneers' offense, Irving has been limited to just 54% of the snaps, while backups Rachaad White (43% and Sean Tucker (14%) have been factors. Irving faces the Carolina Panthers defense in Week 16, which has allowed the tenth-most fantasy points to running backs this season. In his only two games against the Panthers in his career, he has had over 185 scrimmage yards in both outings. In a must-win game for the Buccaneers and with his favorable history against Carolina, look for Irving to unleash in Week 16.