Bucky Irving Fantasy Stats

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that his starters, including running back Bucky Irving, will dress and play in the team's second preseason game on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Irving and the rest of the starting offensive unit were held out of the preseason opener on Friday against the New York Jets. The Bucs let Rachaad White walk in free agency in March, but they added pass-catching dynamo Kenny Gainwell to their backfield to replace him. The 23-year-old Irving should continue to be Tampa's go-to option on early downs and near the goal line, but Gainwell figures to eat into valuable pass-catching opportunities out of the backfield as the team tries to keep Irving healthy after he played in just 10 games in 2025. Irving had 1,514 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games as a rookie in 2024. Because of the lack of clarity in Tampa's backfield between Irving and Gainwell in a new offensive scheme, fantasy managers should target Irving as more of a low-end RB2.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving exploded as the overall RB13 during his rookie season in 2024, but as a result of injuries and workload management, he played in just 10 games last year and fell to RB34 in PPR leagues. Rachaad White and Sean Tucker consistently ate into Irving's workload last year, and while White has since departed for Washington, Tucker remains in the backfield and has been joined by Kenny Gainwell. It's fair to wonder if the Buccaneers are going to use Gainwell similarly to how the Steelers did last year and adopt a true split backfield. In Pittsburgh, Gainwell handled 114 carries and 73 receptions (187 touches) while Jaylen Warren had 211 carries and 40 catches (254 touches). When all was said and done, the two backs combined for 441 touches, but Warren only had 67 more than Gainwell. Presumably, the Bucs will use Gainwell on a variety of downs -- not just third down -- in an attempt to keep Irving fresh for a full season after he missed seven games last year. With that being said, the addition of Gainwell to the backfield isn't necessarily bad news for Irving's fantasy stock. While we may not see him push for 20-25 touches as often, he'll theoretically stay fresh for a bigger portion of the season, perhaps allowing him to stay available for all 17 games. We're still confident in Irving's ability to serve as a mid-range RB2 for fantasy football managers this season.

The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud writes that Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving is making a big impression on new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson in training camp. "His feet are always in the ground," Robinson said. "So he's always able to change direction and, obviously, that keeps him so balanced to be able to break tackles." Irving missed all of the team's organized team activities in May and June while rehabbing a shoulder injury, but he is back now and is looking quick and decisive since pads went on this past week. "Bucky is a stud," Robinson said. Irving had a great rookie year in former OC Liam Coen's outside-zone running scheme, and Robinson's and Coen's offensive styles are similar. The 23-year-old had a 1,000-yard rushing season with eight touchdowns as a rookie, but injuries slowed him down in 2025, and he finished with 588 rushing yards and only one TD in 10 games. A bounce-back in 2026 should be coming for Irving if he stays healthy, but injury risk and the addition of pass-catching back Kenny Gainwell figure to limit Irving's overall ceiling as more of an RB2 in his third NFL campaign. Stroud also mentions Gainwell's seamless transition to Tampa's RB room.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was given the most carries during practice on Friday, according to Pewter Report's Adam Slivon. The Bucs had their best day on the ground so far in training camp with Irving leading the way. The 23-year-old provided the biggest run of the day on a delayed handoff through the middle of the field that would have been a "game-changing run." Additionally, Kenny Gainwell was primarily utilized as a receiver out of the backfield during practice. Irving has seen his fantasy stock steadily decline over the summer due to unfavorable reports about his health. If he continues to impress in camp, it will not take long for his ADP to rise back to where it was a year ago.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was limited to 10 games in 2025 in his sophomore season while dealing with ankle and shoulder injuries, but he is fully healthy for training camp this summer and has been taking first-team reps, according to Scott Smith of the team's official website. Not only was he taking first-team reps, but Smith reports that Irving was running at full speed and looked like the back he was during his remarkable rookie campaign in 2024, in which he had 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, adding 47 receptions for 392 yards as a receiver in 17 games. "He feels fine, he's great," said head coach Todd Bowles. "He's full speed. He's full-go right now. Obviously, when we get in pads, we're not easing him back from anything. So, we feel pretty good right now." Coming off injuries and with the addition of pass-catching back Kenny Gainwell, Irving has fallen in the fantasy rankings and should be targeted as more of a low-end RB2. It certainly feels like the Bucs plan to give Irving more help with Gainwell and Sean Tucker to keep him healthy all year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (shoulder) is a full-go for the team's Wednesday training camp practice, with head coach Todd Bowles telling reporters that he looks good. Buccaneers senior writer Scott Smith reports that Irving is not being eased into anything after sitting out the team's mandatory minicamp practices while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Irving missed seven games in 2025 while dealing with a shoulder subluxation and foot sprain and was visibly impacted by the injuries when he did take the field, averaging 3.4 yards per carry while finding the end zone only once on the ground. The lack of limitation to begin camp is positive news for drafters, but fantasy managers will still need to pay attention to his reported usage throughout the summer, as the Buccaneers added pass-catching specialist Kenny Gainwell this offseason, potentially lowering Irving's fantasy floor and ceiling. The third-year back is RotoBaller's RB25 for 2026.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has already declared running back Bucky Irving (shoulder) as healthy following offseason shoulder surgery, but there are still some reasons for concern if you're considering drafting him in fantasy football. Irving burst on the scene as a rookie in Tampa in 2024 with 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 207 carries while also catching 47 passes for 392 yards as a receiver, but he had an injury-plagued 2025 and finished with 588 rushing yards and just one TD while adding 30 receptions for 277 yards and three more scores. He's looking to return to the 1,000-yard mark in 2026, but will that be possible following the addition of Kenny Gainwell? Pewter Report's Scott Reynolds writes that there's a reason why Bowles has called Irving and Gainwell 1A and 1B. Gainwell is very talented, and the Bucs gave him a two-year, $14 million deal in free agency. He has impressed new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, and he will "see plenty of snaps and touches" this fall to "reduce Irving's workload so he can be more effective with fewer plays." It's how the Bucs' backfield operated when Irving and Rachaad White shared the workload in 2024. Between durability concerns and the loss of volume to Gainwell, Irving is shaping up as a volatile low-end RB2 target in 2026 fantasy drafts.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving told Mark Skol Jr. of FOX 13 News on Monday at his annual youth football camp that he will be good to go for the start of training camp. The Bucs could ease Irving into drills early in camp after he had offseason surgery on his shoulder, but barring a setback this summer, he should be a full-go for the start of the 2026 regular season in early September. The 23-year-old former fourth-rounder in 2024 out of the University of Oregon had 1,122 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on 207 carries in his rookie campaign, but he played in only 10 games in his sophomore season in 2025 due to injury and finished with a disappointing 588 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 173 rushing attempts, adding 30 receptions for 277 yards and three more TDs. Irving should be healthy, but he should be considered an injury risk as a low-end RB2 in fantasy football drafts going into Year 3, especially since Kenny Gainwell figures to factor in heavily on passing downs in Tampa's new offense in 2026. RotoBaller has Irving ranked as the No. 25 fantasy RB right now.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving has become one of the most divisive players in 2026 drafts. After a breakout rookie season in 2024 saw him rack up almost 1,600 yards on his way to an RB14 finish, foot and shoulder injuries, as well as reported off-field struggles, limited him to only 10 games in 2025. Returning to action in Week 13 after an eight-week absence, Irving looked like a shell of himself, unable to top four yards per carry in any of his final six games. On the season, his 3.4-yard-per-carry average was down a full two yards from his rookie season, and while he was able to provide 6.1 half-PPR points per game strictly through the passing game, more than 67% of that production came in the first four weeks of the season. Following offseason shoulder surgery, the bull case for Irving is that he can return to the efficiency of his rookie season and the start of 2025, when he was the RB10 through the first four weeks. His detractors will point to the two-year, $14 million deal given to Kenneth Gainwell as evidence that Irving's fantasy-friendly usage in the passing game is set to take a meaningful hit. Those conflicting opinions have him coming off the board around RB24 by current ADP, providing his believers the opportunity to snag him at a discount in hopes of what could be a league-winning bounceback season.

The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud doesn't think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers want to give running back Bucky Irving 15-plus carries again in 2026 due to injury concerns. When discussing newcomer Kenneth Gainwell, who was the MVP of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense last year, Stroud said, "That's not backup money. I think they will go with the hot hand." The Bucs signed Gainwell to a two-year, $14 million contract in free agency in March after the 27-year-old had a career year in 2025 in the Steel City, carrying the ball 114 times for 537 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and five touchdowns while catching 73 passes for 486 yards and three touchdowns on 85 targets as a pass-catcher in 17 regular-season games (two starts). Tampa's offense is switching to more outside zone as well, which could favor Gainwell in his new digs. It's obviously bad news for Irving and his fantasy stock going into 2026 after he played in just 10 games due to injuries in Year 2. Fantasy managers should target the 23-year-old as more of an RB3/flex than a legitimate RB2, with Gainwell gaining steam as an RB3/flex with more appeal in PPR leagues.