Bucky Irving has been one of the best running backs in the NFL during his two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, injuries limited him to just ten games last season, and now an offseason shoulder surgery is forcing him to miss OTAs. This can potentially cloud his outlook in 2026, including in fantasy football, where many managers are growing concerned.
Bucky Irving Shoulder Injury Continues to Impact His Availability for Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are apparently expecting Irving to return “sometime in the summer or fall” as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, according to head coach Todd Bowles. Mentioning the fall as a possibility for when he could return implies that he’s not a lock to be ready for Week 1 in early September.
This situation raises red flags for many fantasy football players, especially considering most drafts take place during the summer. Many fantasy analysts expressed their legitimate concerns about his outlook, despite his impressive production so far. According to PFSN’s RB Impact Metric, he finished his rookie season fourth among all running backs in the league, but finished last season at 47th, with an impact score of 46.9.
“Not a doctor, but kinda wild that Bucky Irving still hasn’t been cleared from an injury that he returned from, played with for the final six games of the season, and seemingly didn’t re-aggravate along the way,” speculated Ian Haritz after the latest update on the running back’s injury.
NOT a doctor but kinda wild that Bucky Irving still hasn’t been cleared from an injury that he returned from, played with for the final six games of the season, and seemingly didn’t re-aggravate along the way? https://t.co/VGcuGFvBuX
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 26, 2026
Irving returned from a shoulder injury last year to finish out the season, but now an offseason surgery complicates his situation even further.
“The timeline has been odd since being injured early in the season,” stated Pete Nova.
Bucky Irving news from OTAs.
New OC in the building for Tampa. Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker will get the first crack at leaving an impression.
The timeline for Bucky Irving has been odd since being injured early in the season.
Something to keep an eye on. https://t.co/wgaxj9hukC
— PeteNova (@SuperrNova38) May 26, 2026
The Buccaneers opted to bring in reinforcements by signing Kenneth Gainwell, who had a solid season with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year.
All of this has led several fantasy football analysts to make their concerns about his outlook perfectly clear.
“Vibes could not be worse for Bucky right now,” said OTL. “Panic meter on Bucky Irving is at 11, btw,” admitted Bootleg Fantasy Football.
Panic meter on Bucky Irving is at 11 btw. https://t.co/x9PuY3E4rH
— Bootleg Fantasy Football (@BootlegFantasy) May 26, 2026
This has led some to advise managers to outright fade the star running back in drafts this year.
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“Let me save you guys the headache: Don’t draft Bucky Irving this season,” suggested Brian Drake.
Let me save you guys the headache: Don’t draft Bucky Irving this season. https://t.co/srUs72sLZb
— Brian Drake (@DrakeFantasy) May 26, 2026
It was also pointed out that he is in a similar situation as Malik Nabers, another young prospect with massive upside, who is also dealing with an injury impacting his fantasy outlook for the 2026 season.
“Bucky Irving and Malik Nabers: two players I’m out on at cost for 2026,” claimed Dynasty FF Wolf.
Time will tell if the Buccaneers running back will be ready for the start of the 2026 season, and if he isn’t, when exactly he will be able to make his return to the lineup.
For now, he will reportedly be unavailable for the OTA portion of the offseason programs, which understandably has fantasy football managers looking in other directions when preparing their draft boards.
