Who Should I Start? Tyjae Spears or Bucky Irving

Saturday, October 26, 2:42 PM

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (hamstring) was downgraded to out for Week 8. Spears did not suit up last weekend but returned to practice this week in a limited capacity. However, he was unable to progress enough and will now set his sights on returning in Week 9 to face the New England Patriots. Spears has been deployed as the No.2 option out of the backfield this season behind Tony Pollard and has only averaged a mere 22.8 rushing yards per game with just one score. Fantasy managers should expect Pollard to see a heavy dose of work on Sunday afternoon but faces a tough challenge as the Lions have allowed the second-fewest PPR points to opposing running backs this season.

Tuesday, October 29, 2:07 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (toe) is playing through a toe injury, but the rookie said he does not expect the ailment to limit his playing time. The fourth-round pick out of Oregon has handled at least 10 touches in seven of his eight games this season, and he caught a career-high seven passes in the Week 8 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Although he's not a must-start stud in a shared backfield with Rachaad White, he has provided solid value for fantasy managers considering his late-round cost in preseason drafts. However, he is set the face a Kansas City Chiefs defense that has surrendered the fewest fantasy points per game to running backs this season, so his ceiling and floor could be limited in Week 9. Expect him to be a fixture on the injury report, but it sounds like he's not at risk of missing time.