The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Bucky Irving.
Is Bucky Irving Playing in Week 14?
Irving (hip/back) is officially questionable for Sunday’s game against the Raiders. He sat out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday before managing a limited session on Friday.
Irving went down in the first half of Week 13. While he returned later in the third quarter, the fourth-round rookie was “laboring” after Sunday’s game.
Irving told reporters on Monday that he felt better, but two missed practices told a different story. A limited practice on Friday at least gives Irving a chance to play on Sunday, but we’ll need to wait for more updates. He could become a game-time decision.
Hard to tell if Irving will be limited by his hip Sunday — I'd think going in it's still a close split between him and Rachaad White. Tucker didn't get an offensive snap last week, and Raiders aren't bad in run defense, so still likely between those two. https://t.co/xrdq4bm07F
— Greg Auman (@gregauman)
Irving finished Week 13 with a career-high 25 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown. The Buccaneers had been threatening a hot-hand approach at running back, and on Sunday, Irving received 28 opportunities to Rachaad White’s 12. While the backs essentially played the same number of snaps, Irving was the clear lead runner.
Irving has developed into a fantasy league winner down the stretch (health provided). Entering Week 14, he leads all qualified running backs in yards after contact per attempt and yards per route run as a receiver.
If Irving sits on Sunday, White will become a usable fantasy starter, while fellow Bucs RB Sean Tucker could also get into the mix. Even if Irving does play, he may not see the sort of massive workload he handled in Week 13.
We’ll continue to monitor the Buccaneers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Bucky Irving in Week 14?
There is nothing flash-in-the-pan-ish about what Irving is doing. Amid a breakout, Irving is still only playing roughly half of the snaps, and it simply doesn’t matter. Over his past three games, the rookie is averaging 24.1 PPR PPG, producing 45.6% over expectations, and looking every bit the part of those impressive numbers.
In those games, Irving is averaging five yards per carry after first contact, giving this offense a component that they’ve been lacking during the Rachaad White era. The Raiders allow the second most red-zone trips per game (3.9) this season, giving me confidence that we are looking at a low-end RB1 this week … and potentially for the remainder of the season.
Flex PPR leaders, Weeks 12-13
- Saquon Barkley: 65.9 PPR points
- Irving: 54.7 PPR points
- DJ Moore: 50.6 PPR points
- Josh Jacobs: 50.3 PPR points
- Terry McLaurin: 48.5 PPR points
Through October, Irving had one game with more than 10 rush attempts. If you stayed loyal during the low-usage start to open the season, you deserve to be paid the way this is lining up — go get a title!
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 14 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Bucky Irving’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 14
As of Sunday morning, Irving is projected to score 16 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 19.4 rushing attempts for 87.1 yards and 0.5 touchdowns. It also includes 1.3 receptions for 26.4 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Bucky Irving’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.Â
Conference Championship RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) James Cook | BUF (at KC)
3) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
4) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. BUF)
5) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at PHI)
7) Ray Davis | BUF (at KC)
8) Ty Johnson | BUF (at KC)
9) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. BUF)
10) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. WAS)
11) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at PHI)
12) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Carson Steele | KC (vs. BUF)
14) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (at KC)
15) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
