Who Should I Start? Tyjae Spears or Bucky Irving

Friday, January 3, 2:15 PM

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (concussion) has been ruled out for the Week 18 matchup against the Houston Texans. Spears will sit out the regular season finale after suffering a concussion during last week's game. Before that, Spears rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries, which was his best running performance of the season. Lead back Tony Pollard (ankle) is considered a game-time decision, so the Titans could be in a bad spot if he's unable to play. Julius Chestnut and Joshua Kelley could end up having bigger roles for Sunday's game. However, neither back is considered a viable streaming option for Week 18.

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.