Bucky Irving enters the 2026 season seeking to replicate his rookie successes and forget last year. Over the past decade, he is one of only four running backs to record at least 1,100 rushing yards and 40 catches in a rookie season, and if we get anything close to that version of him now that he’s healthy, his ADP is going to be off by multiple rounds.
Should You Draft Bucky Irving in Fantasy Football?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back had an incredible rookie year. He broke out seemingly out of nowhere, but year 2 wasn’t quite up to expectations. He missed a few games due to injury, and even in the games he did play, he wasn’t fully himself. He was dealing with a shoulder dislocation and a foot sprain.
Irving’s current ADP in PFN’s Free Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator is 45, right on the nose. Depending on what league you’re in, that’s about a 5th-round pick. PFN’s fantasy experts, Jason Katz and Kyle Soppe, however, are not quite as high on him as the consensus. Between the two of them, they rank Irving at 73. That’s a big jump down from pure RB2 territory all the way down to looking at Irving as a flex guy. Totally different situation. That’s a pretty big discrepancy. His current projected points per game is 11.9.
Irving showed as a rookie what he can do when he’s healthy. But the big question now is whether he can bounce back from the injury, and whether he can overcome Kenneth Gainwell, whom the Buccaneers added to that backfield. I think that Gainwell’s ability in the receiving game is going to take a lot of Irving’s PPR upside away, and that’ll definitely hurt him.
As far as what his upside could be, I don’t think you’re looking at Irving as a rookie. I think you might be looking more at Irving in year 2. That’s what he is for fantasy production: not bad, but certainly not somebody you’re going to take in the early rounds either. I’d take him if he’s available in that PFN ranking range, somewhere in that 70-ish range. Maybe the 60s you could talk me into, depending on what the board looks like. But at the current ADP, I’d pass on that.
Looking at some of the other running backs who have similar ADPs in our mock draft simulator, there’s Travis Etienne, and I’m never going to get used to not calling him ETN. That is mind-boggling to me to this day. It’s going to mess with me forever. Then there’s Quinshon Judkins, D’Andre Swift, and David Montgomery.
You’re looking at two guys in Etienne and Swift. Both of them have more big-play potential. They’re more dynamic as straight-line athletes and arguably have more PPR upside. Then you’re looking at Judkins and Montgomery. Those are two guys who I don’t think will face as much competition as Irving does in Gainwell. Unless you’re a big Woody Marks believer in Houston, I think Montgomery is going to have a higher share of the touches than Irving does in Tampa Bay.
If Irving is available in the 70s, I’d consider him as a flex, as an RB3 type of guy. But at an ADP of 45, taking him as your RB2 is a big risk. I would fade that.
FANTASY RANKINGS: PFN’s FREE Fantasy PPR, Half-PPR, and Non-PPR Rankings
FANTASY RANKINGS: PFN’s FREE Fantasy PPR, Half-PPR, and Non-PPR Rankings
Bucky Irving’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
Last season was a disaster, and that greatly impacted his ADP this summer. When the ADP falls, the assumed role on your fantasy team naturally follows suit as you have the ability to draft more players ahead of him.
You might have a league winner on your hands and just not know it yet.
As a rookie, Irving looked like a bellcow for years to come. He was fluid in the pass game, punched in 8 scores on the ground, and at 5.4 yards per carry, was as efficient as any RB in the league.
A fully healthy version of him behind a line with its starters in place has the potential to be dangerous.
The red flag we have to deal with was everything that happened last season. The shoulder injury highlighted things, and the hope is that it is corrected. The fact that he averaged just 0.56 fantasy points per rush on carries when he got past the line of scrimmage is goofy.
I don’t know how else to say it.
That was the lowest mark in the league and 37.1% below league average. We can blame the shoulder to some degree, but he was pre-Captain America super serum last year after being the post version in 2024.
I’m going to be ahead of the market on a profile like this: it’s a reasonable offense, we have proof of concept, and the dude is 24 years old. I embraced the discount this summer and am entering 2026 with him labeled as a weekly starter. There isn’t a ton of room for error because Kenny Gainwell is a very viable back in his own right, but I do think Irving gets the first crack at an impact role, and I want to have shares of him with that upside in mind.
He’s an RB2 for me this week in what should be a fun game and potentially a sneaky DFS option as managers cling to the respective pass games in what could turn into a track meet.
START PREPARING: PFN’s FREE Fantasy Draft Simulator
START PREPARING: PFN’s FREE Fantasy Draft Simulator
Where Irving Ranks Among 2026 Running Backs
- Cam Skattebo | NYG
- David Montgomery | HOU
- Bhayshul Tuten | JAX
- Quinshon Judkins | CLE
- Jadarian Price | SEA
- Bucky Irving | TB
- Jaylen Warren | PIT
- Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
- TreVeyon Henderson | NE
- Chuba Hubbard | CAR
- Tony Pollard | TEN
Analysts Jason Katz and Kyle Soppe rank every running back on PFN’s 2026 PPR Consensus Board.
