Who Should I Start? Zay Flowers or Bucky Irving

Tuesday, June 3, 2:47 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign in just his second season in the NFL. The 2023 first-round pick out of Boston College snagged 74 of his 116 targets for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games. Unfortunately, Flowers was banged up in the season finale against the Cleveland Browns and did not appear in either of Baltimore's postseason contests. Heading into Year 3, the Ravens are hoping to get Flowers more involved. "We just got to get him the ball more," offensive coordinator Todd Monken said after Tuesday's practice. "He's not only an outside receiver who has elite route-running skills, but he's unbelievable with the ball in his hands." Flowers ranked 19th in receiving yards last season despite finishing 28th in receptions and 23rd in targets. An uptick in target volume could give him fringe WR1 upside, and his target competition at wideout remains underwhelming.

Thursday, June 26, 6:10 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving, who is expected to see more opportunities in 2025, has improved his footwork and pass protection, according to head coach Todd Bowles. "He got to where he needed to be, but his footwork wasn't always the cleanest last season," Bowles says. "He's cleaned that up." Despite only "starting" three games in 2024, Irving finished as the RB13 in point-per-reception scoring in fantasy in his rookie season by racking up 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 207 rushing attempts. He added 47 receptions on 52 targets for 392 yards through the air. The 22-year-old makes up for his lack of size and athleticism with excellent vision and a knack for breaking tackles in open space. The primary concern with Irving as it pertains to being a true RB1 is the question of whether he can be a true workhorse back and withstand all the physical punishment between the tackles.