Lamar Jackson or Bucky Irving: who should I start in Week 3?

What the sportsbooks price

The player markets price Lamar Jackson at 21.6 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 17 books. That is the 3rd highest figure of the 176 players the books price.

The player markets price Bucky Irving at 13.1 PPR points a game, built from 5 markets across 15 books. That is the 62nd highest figure of the 176 players the books price.

Where the draft room stands

Drafters have formed no consensus on Lamar Jackson: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 36th overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 8.

Drafters have formed no consensus on Bucky Irving: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 37th overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 67.

This season through Week 2

Through Week 2, Lamar Jackson has been on the field for 100 percent of BAL snaps, dropped back 66 times and thrown 10.9 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 8 of 66 dropbacks and scrambled 7 times.

In Week 1 against IND he completed 17 of 24 passes for 324 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions and ran 4 times for 43 yards.

In Week 2 against NO he completed 21 of 30 passes for 235 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception and ran 4 times for 34 yards.

Through Week 2, Bucky Irving has been on the field for 70 percent of TB snaps, taken 57 percent of the carries, drawn 18 percent of the targets and had 25 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 3 of the offence's 14 third down targets, had 0 of its 1 chance inside the five and seen 0 of its 8 two minute targets.

His 11 targets have come 4.3 yards behind the line of scrimmage on average.

In Week 1 against CIN he carried 8 times for 45 yards, caught 7 of 7 targets for 48 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 2 against CLE he carried 17 times for 89 yards, caught 4 of 4 targets for 1 yards and did not score.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Lamar Jackson played 13 games and scored 221.9 PPR points, 17.1 a game, finishing QB20.

He threw for 2549 yards on 302 attempts with 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, and ran for 349 yards and 2 touchdowns.

That came to 23.2 attempts a game at 8.4 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 92 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Bucky Irving played 10 games and scored 138.5 PPR points, 13.9 a game, finishing RB34.

He carried 173 times for 588 yards and 1 touchdown, and caught 30 of 35 targets for 277 more yards.

That came to 17.3 carries a game at 3.4 yards a carry and 3.0 catches a game.

He was on the field for 62 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Lamar Jackson was available for 3 games more.

Side by side

In 2025 Lamar Jackson scored 17.1 PPR points a game and Bucky Irving 13.9, 3.2 a game between them.

Lamar Jackson finished QB20 and Bucky Irving RB34, which are two different ladders.

Lamar Jackson is a quarterback and Bucky Irving a running back, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

Lamar Jackson is off in Week 13 and Bucky Irving in Week 10, so either can cover the other's bye.

What would change the answer

8.5 points a game is the entire case. The books restate it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when the consensus sample holds these two again it can order them differently from the price, and this page will follow the sample rather than the books when it does.