Who Should I Start? Salvon Ahmed or Bucky Irving

Wednesday, October 16, 1:15 PM

The Indianapolis Colts signed free-agent running back Salvon Ahmed to their practice squad on Wednesday with both Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and Trey Sermon (knee) dealing with injuries. Taylor has missed the last two weeks with a high-ankle sprain, while Sermon apparently banged his knee up in the Week 6 win over the division-rival Tennessee Titans. For now, Ahmed will give the Colts extra depth at the position behind Tyler Goodson and Evan Hull. Ahmed has 163 career carries with five touchdowns and 3.6 yards per carry in his four years in the NFL, all with the Miami Dolphins, the Colts' Week 7 opponent. Last year in Miami, he had 22 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown and caught 16 of his 23 targets for 88 yards and another touchdown. Ahmed remains off the fantasy radar for now.

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.