Who Should I Start? Kenneth Walker III or Bucky Irving

Tuesday, September 16, 9:07 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III acknowledged that Zach Charbonnet is expected to continue splitting the backfield with him. Through two games, Charbonnet has outsnapped Walker (56% to 38%) and handled more carries (27 to 23). Head coach Mike MacDonald reinforced that approach, saying, "We're playing the long game. We want both backs to play the whole year." Walker also stated that he's buying into the committee approach to preserve his health. "I believe we have two great backs." Walker's history of injuries is expanding, as he missed six games in 2024 and multiple others earlier in his career. For fantasy purposes, Walker's upside is capped, and he should be valued as a high-end RB3 rather than his typical high-end RB2 profile.

Tuesday, September 16, 12:19 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was busy Monday night against Houston, handling 17 carries for 71 yards while adding six receptions for 50 yards in the pass game. Irving was the engine of Tampa Bay's offense against Houston's stout defense, consistently making defenders miss and finding positive yardage. The star's second year back forced 11 missed tackles, including five on receptions in Monday night's game, the most in his career, according to NFL Pro. Mayfield was under a ton of pressure and took four sacks overall against one of the league's best pass rush groups, and he often resorted to Irving as a safety valve. Rachaad White handled more work than he did in Week 1 and ended up scoring the game-winning touchdown after Mayfield drove them down to the goal line. Otherwise, Irving still had a highly productive fantasy outing and remains Tampa Bay's lead back. He should be viewed as a rock-solid RB1 moving forward with his high-value touch role.