Fantasy Football Week 18 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Rico Dowdle vs. Bucky Irving

Evaluating who to play in fantasy football in week 18 between Carolina Panthers RB Rico Dowdle and Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving.

Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) with the ball in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Both RBs Bucky Irving from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and RB Rico Dowdle, who have dynamic skillsets, are coming off bad outings in fantasy football in week 17. The two players in PPR fantasy football formats ranked outside of the top 23 RBs in fantasy point production for the week. Coming off this low, here is a breakdown on who to start and who to sit this week in fantasy football between the two.

Bucky Irving

Dec 28, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) is tackled by Miami Dolphins linebacker Cameron Goode (53) during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Since coming back from injury in week 13, Bucky Irving, had one of his worst fantasy outings this past week against the Miami Dolphins. In the game, he had nine rushes for 19 yards along with five catches for 14 yards. In PPR formats in week 17, this ranked him as RB28. Another concerning feat that came out of this contest is that he had a 54% snap count share. Since being back, he has yet to have a game where he has played over 70% of the Buccaneers' snaps. Going back to the first three weeks of the season, he played in over 70% of their snaps in all of those games.

Going against the Carolina Panthers in week 18, it does feel like Irving can have a good outing in fantasy. In week 16 against the Panthers, Irving did not have an explosive fantasy performance, but had an encouraging one. He had 19 carries, the highest amount he has had all year. If he gets close to this total agqain, he can definitely have a breakout game in the final week of the regular season. 

The Panthers in there last last four games have allowed two RBs over 100 rushing yards, and all four opposing teams combined for six rushing TDs.

Rico Dowdle

Dec 28, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs the ball against Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39) and linebacker Drake Thomas (42) (obscured) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Panthers RB Rico Dowdle, who had one of the more memorable stretches of games in fantasy football this season, of any RB in the NFL, continues to struggle to get back to that play. Last week, Dowdle had 12 carries for 59 yards against the Seattle Seahawks, marking a streak of seven games where he's had under 60 rushing yards. And although it has been less of a factor the past couple of games, the presence of RB Chuba Hubbard certainly knocks down how many fantasy points Dowdle can have week to week. 

This week, Dowdle will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have one of the better rushing defenses in the NFL in 2025. They are giving up the seventh fewest rushing yards per game this year. In their last three games, they have given up over 80 rushing yards to two RB1s. The one RB1 that did not accomplish this against the Bucs was Dowdle in week 16. In the game, he had nine carries for 29 yards.

Final Verdict

When it comes to who should start and who should sit in week 18 between Dowdle and Irving, Dowdle should sit, and Irving should start. Neither player played well in their last game against each other, but Irving’s carry total of 19 compared to Dowdle’s nine helps give Irving the edge in this debate. Also, Dowdle coming into this game is questionable, so if he does suit up, it would not be unforeseen if the Panthers choose to lean on a healthy Hubbard more than they have in the past couple of games.