Who Should I Start? Rachaad White or Bucky Irving

Wednesday, May 28, 3:59 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White saw his RB1 title stripped by rookie running back Bucky Irving last season. The Arizona State product was excellent in 2023, tallying over 1,400 yards of offense and nine touchdowns. However, he saw his production and touch share dip in 2024 as he became a committee back due to the emergence of Irving. Entering his fourth NFL campaign, Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Gizzard sounds like he wants to keep him involved in the team's offensive game plan. "Really good route-runner. We all know he's really good with the ball in his hands on screens, drop back pass game," Gizzard said of White. "I don't want to compare him to a lot of other guys, but he is close to, if not as good as, anybody we see in terms of pass protection in the NFL." White's days as a workhorse back appear to be over, but he continues to stay on the fantasy football radar as a handcuff with standalone value, especially in PPR leagues. White has hauled in 185 receptions in 50 career games and would have RB1 upside due to touch volume if Irving has to miss any time in 2025.

Wednesday, June 18, 7:41 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving noted last week that he aims to improve heading into his second season. "But yeah, just always going back and looking at the film and looking at things that you can get better at and improve in, and also not getting satisfied and stuck in last year," said Irving. "Nobody cares about what you did last year. It's, 'What can you do for me now?'" The Oregon alum burst onto the scene last season with a PPR RB13 finish despite toting the rock just 207 times. He displayed an elite ability to break tackles and was a catalyst for Tampa Bay with the ball in his hands. With the Buccaneers returning all of their offensive line starters from 2024, Irving could be in for a massive year with a focus on aiming higher in his second season. He's one of the more exciting picks in the first two rounds of fantasy drafts.