Who Should I Start? Jonathon Brooks or Bucky Irving

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Week 1 Projections

Fant. Pts.	Rush. Yds.	Rush TD	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Rec TD
10.0	43.9	0.3	1.9	13.8	0.1

Jonathon Brooks News

Jonathon Brooks' Stock Back on the Rise Amidst Improved Health Outlook

Saturday, September 5, 7:30 AM

A second-round pick in 2024, Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (undisclosed) has been limited by knee injuries to just three career games and nine career carries through his first two NFL seasons. The 23-year-old has also been working through an undisclosed injury that has prevented him from practicing in recent days, which is obviously a concern given his track record. However, Panthers coach Dave Canales recently said that the team is very optimistic that Brooks will be able to play in Week 1. Reporting throughout the summer also indicated that Brooks was impressive in training camp and that the team could be planning on him playing a significant role in their offense. While veteran running back Chuba Hubbard will likely open the year as Carolina's RB1, Brooks could be the higher-upside option of the two. As a mid-to-late round pick in most drafts, Brooks profiles as a high-risk, high-reward selection for fantasy managers.

Bucky Irving - Tampa Bay (RB)

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Week 1 Projections

Fant. Pts.	Rush. Yds.	Rush TD	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Rec TD
12.7	58.2	0.3	2.4	18.9	0.1

Bucky Irving News

Bucky Irving a Bounce-Back Candidate with Clean Bill of Health

Friday, September 4, 6:22 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving is primed to bounce back in fantasy football now that he's fully healthy for the 2026 season. Irving missed a whopping seven games in his second pro season last year, which resulted in him falling to RB34 with just 865 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns. For context, he had been the RB13 the year prior. Irving is now fully healthy again, giving him a good chance to push for a top-12 finish in fantasy football at the running back position. There are certainly some other mouths to feed here, but as far as the backfield goes, Irving has pretty clearly solidified himself over Kenny Gainwell and Sean Tucker. In fact, the presence of those two other backs could allow the Bucs to manage Irving's workload. Sure, that might lower his ceiling slightly, but it will also reduce injury risk and increase the chance of him playing all 17 games. As it stands, Irving ranks as the RB19 in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings. He has an ADP of 52.7, which corresponds to the fifth round of fantasy drafts and makes him the 22nd running back off the board.

Jonathon Brooks vs. Bucky Irving

Still trying to decide between Brooks and Irving? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Jonathon Brooks is projected to score 10.0 points this week while Bucky Irving is projected to score 12.7 points.