Who Should I Start? Jaylen Wright or Bucky Irving

Saturday, July 19, 1:49 PM

Miami Dolphins second-year running back Jaylen Wright has plenty of confidence in himself and thinks he can have a big year in 2025 alongside lead back De'Von Achane. "I just really feel like and I know I can be a top back in this league," Wright said on Up & Adams. "I feel like just my skill set, my ability and the system I'm in, it sets me up to be great." The 22-year-old speedy back played more than a quarter of the offensive snaps in only three games in 2024 and finished with only 249 rushing yards on 68 carries. Achane is on the smaller side at 5-foot-8 and 188 pounds, so it would make sense for them to try and spell him more often with Wright in 2025. Wright, a former fourth-rounder, is enticing as a handcuff option to Achane due to his speed and big-play ability. His main competition for a bigger role in his sophomore season will come from Alexander Mattison.

Tuesday, July 29, 8:02 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was one of the biggest surprises from the 2024 draft class. He wrestled the lead-back role away from Rachaad White mid-season and rushed for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns. Irving, who weighs under 200 pounds, told CBS Sports' Pete Prisco that he feels he can handle a large workload, but Prisco tweeted that he thinks the Bucs might try to limit him a bit to keep him fresh because of his small stature. While fantasy gamers would prefer for Irving to see all the work out of Tampa Bay's backfield, it is clear that the team still wants to give touches to White and Sean Tucker. That being said, Irving is still the lead back and showed last season he can be a dominant force at the running-back position. The team keeping him fresh is a positive in the long run and shouldn't deter fantasy managers from grabbing him as a low-end RB1 in upcoming drafts.