Who Should I Start? Royce Freeman or Bucky Irving

Monday, January 6, 9:21 PM

Chicago Bears running back Royce Freeman has been cut by the organization on Monday. Freeman joined the Bears practice squad in mid-December after being released by the Cleveland Browns in October. The veteran back has now been cut from the practice squad on Monday. Freeman never made it to the active roster for the Bears this season. He didn't have much of a chance to see reps with D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson getting a majority of the snaps in the backfield. Freeman will look to catch on elsewhere ahead of next season.

Monday, January 13, 12:53 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries during Sunday's playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. He also caught two passes for an additional six yards through the air. In the loss, Irving averaged his lowest yards per carry since Week 9 (excluding his injury-shortened Week 14), which is not an indictment on his performance but rather a testament to just how well he's been running the football lately. He carved out the lead-back role once again on Sunday, registering 17 carries to Rachaad White's one. White has essentially been delegated to pass-catching situations, and even then, he continues to lose opportunities to Irving. It has been fascinating to watch this backfield dynamic develop throughout the season, with White slipping way down from the RB1 tier in fantasy football while Irving becomes one of the top running backs in dynasty fantasy football (and a mid-range RB1 in redraft leagues, too). Barring an unexpected change or addition within the Buccaneers' backfield, Irving should remain their primary ball carrier entering 2025.