Every season in fantasy football, there are pickups on the waiver wire that end up being league-winning additions. This season, that player has been Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving. Irving took over for an injured Rachaad White and never looked back, taking a strong hold on the Tampa Bay backfield. The Buccaneers are in a tight race in the NFC South and hope to have their talented running back healthy for the rest of the season.
Bucky Irving Injury Status
According to Buccaneers team reporter Brianna Dix, running back Bucky Irving has officially been listed as questionable heading into Sunday’s game against the Raiders. Irving has been dealing with hip and back injuries this week which has limited his ability to practice. The Buccaneers running back did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, but was a limited participant on Friday. While his status remains uncertain, Irving practicing on Friday is a positive sign for his status against the Raiders. Irving will be worth monitoring on Sunday morning. The Buccaneers play the Raiders in the early slate of games at 1 p.m. ET.
What Bucky Irving’s injury means for fantasy football
Irving has been one of the best waiver wire pickups this season in fantasy football. The Buccaneers running back in the RB16 on the season in PPR leagues and since Week 6 he has been the RB8. Irving has been producing at a high level recently, with back-to-back 27.5-point performances. Last week against the Carolina Panthers, Irving had 25 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown.
If the Buccaneers are able to jump out to an early lead against the Raiders, the game script could lead to another big performance from Irving. While the Raiders are allowing just 16.3 fantasy points per game to running backs which ranks 16th, they are giving up the sixth-most rushing yards over expected. Meanwhile, Irving has done well creating this season as he has the eighth-most rushing yards over expected per attempt.
While the Raiders defense has done well against the run this season, the Buccaneers have been one of the best offenses when it comes to running the football. They are fourth in rushing yards per play and ninth in EPA per rush.
In the case that Irving plays, he is obviously a must-start in fantasy lineups. If he can’t go, the same can be said for Rachaad White. Sean Tucker could be name to consider as well as a potential flex option. From a volume standpoint, White has still proven that he can be effective as the primary ball-carrier in an offense. Back in Week 6, Tucker had 14 carries for 136 yards.
Without Irving, White would be the primary option, but the Buccaneers have effectively split carries between their running backs this season. Since Week 6, Irving only has 43.6 percent of the rushing attempts in the offense while White has 30.8 percent. It should be expected either way that the Buccaneers use two running backs whether it is Irving and White or White and Tucker.