Start Bucky Irving or Kenneth Walker? Week 9

Our Week 9 call

Start Kenneth Walker over Bucky Irving in Week 9.

Market-based projections have Kenneth Walker at 19.0 points and Bucky Irving at 15.7, a gap of 3.4. Bucky Irving's number is scaled up from a partial market: not every stat the position needs is posted yet, so the rest is estimated from what is. No player market is posted for Kenneth Walker this week yet, so his 19.0 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 6, 7 and 8 (20.1, 17.9 and 19.0); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. Drafters take Kenneth Walker at ADP 17 and Bucky Irving at 45.

What the market projects

No Week 9 player market is posted for Kenneth Walker yet. His market-based projections were 20.1, 17.9 and 19.0 points in Weeks 6, 7 and 8, an average of 19.0, which stands in until his Week 9 market posts.

Player markets imply 15.7 fantasy points for Bucky Irving, with 70 percent of the markets a RB needs posted.

The market-based projection for Bucky Irving is 65 rushing yards and 0.6 touchdowns (10 and 8 market sources).

That puts Kenneth Walker 3.4 points ahead of Bucky Irving on these projections.

Week 9 matchups

Kenneth Walker and KC host NYJ on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

NYJ allowed 21.8 fantasy points a game to RBs this season over 8 games, the 15th most in the league.

Running backs ran for 105 yards and 0.6 touchdowns a game against NYJ and caught passes for 27 more yards.

Bucky Irving and TB visit CHI on Sunday at 8:20 PM ET.

CHI allowed 17.8 fantasy points a game to RBs this season over 8 games, the 3rd fewest in the league.

Running backs ran for 72 yards and 0.4 touchdowns a game against CHI and caught passes for 33 more yards.

By points allowed to the position, Kenneth Walker has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Kenneth Walker is not on the injury report.

Bucky Irving is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 9

Through Week 6, Kenneth Walker played 75 percent of KC snaps, took 76 percent of the carries, drew 15 percent of the targets and had 58 percent of the red zone chances.

Kenneth Walker, Week 2 against IND: 66 of 80 snaps, 24 carries for 117 yards, 10 targets and 6 catches for 61 yards.

Kenneth Walker, Week 3 against MIA: 38 of 52 snaps, 18 carries for 70 yards, 2 targets and 2 catches for 3 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Kenneth Walker, Week 4 against LV: 45 of 60 snaps, 22 carries for 177 yards, 1 target and 1 catch for 2 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Kenneth Walker, Week 6 against LAC: 45 of 61 snaps, 19 carries for 128 yards, 3 targets and 2 catches for 11 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Through Week 8, Bucky Irving played 63 percent of TB snaps, took 57 percent of the carries, drew 11 percent of the targets and had 45 percent of the red zone chances.

Bucky Irving, Week 5 against DAL: 39 of 72 snaps, 21 carries for 165 yards, 3 targets and 2 catches for 10 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Bucky Irving, Week 6 against PIT: 63 of 74 snaps, 19 carries for 46 yards, 3 targets and 2 catches for 3 yards.

Bucky Irving, Week 7 against CAR: 37 of 63 snaps, 24 carries for 106 yards, 2 targets and 1 catch for 4 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Bucky Irving, Week 8 against ATL: 30 of 60 snaps, 27 carries for 170 yards, 0 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards, 1 touchdown.

Their 2025 seasons

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

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

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

Their other Week 9 calls

• Start Kenneth Walker over Ashton Jeanty.
• Start Bijan Robinson over Kenneth Walker.
• Start Kenneth Walker over Braelon Allen.
• Start Ashton Jeanty over Bucky Irving.
• Start Bucky Irving over Bhayshul Tuten.
• Start Bucky Irving over Braelon Allen.