The Tampa Bay Buccaneers keep on rolling. They are off to a 4-1 start in 2025 and continue to deliver in the clutch. In Week 5, they took down a tough Seattle Seahawks team that gave them quite a fight. The Buccaneers came up with a key takeaway late, and Baker Mayfield led them down the field into field goal range, and they took the win.
They did it without their starting RB Bucky Irving, who didn’t play with a shoulder injury on top of a sprained foot. Here’s when to expect Irving back on the field for Tampa Bay.
Latest on Bucky Irving’s Return
Irving is banged up with multiple injuries. He started Week 5 with a sprained foot and was in a walking boot. He was still in play to potentially make it back for the game until a shoulder subluxation was disclosed on that Tuesday, which ruled him out of their Week 5 game.
The shoulder injury will likely determine when he can return. It is more serious than his foot sprain, and once he recovers, fans should be able to expect Irving back on the field.
It was announced that he would likely miss at least two weeks, so it seemed he’d be out in Week 6. However, on Wednesday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles left the door open for a potential return this week, depending on how he recovers.
“It’s still his ankle and still his shoulder. He’s getting better by the day, so we’ll see,” Bowles said.
Unfortunately, Irving did not practice on Thursday, and on Friday, he was ruled out for Week 6.
The Buccaneers are gearing up for a battle of heavyweights against the 4-1 San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers are no easy task and have clawed their way to big wins despite some significant injuries themselves.
Irving will be missed by the Buccaneers, but his backup, Rachaad White, is more than serviceable. Irving is the 37th-ranked running back in PFSN’s Running Back Impact score with a grade of 68.9. On the other hand, White is the 18th-ranked running back with a grade of 76.6.
The Buccaneers’ offense is still humming and moving the ball well. They hung 38 points on the Seahawks despite being without Irving and their Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans. It helps when Mayfield is playing like one of the top quarterbacks in the league, and Emeka Egbuka has made an instant impact. Egbuka looks destined for stardom throughout the five weeks and has been a revelation for the offense.
The schedule isn’t getting any easier for Tampa Bay. A meeting on Monday Night Football with the Detroit Lions is looming after this week’s test against the 49ers. They’ve proved they know how to win in crunch time, as they’ve had a game-winning drive in all four of their wins.
The Buccaneers are oozing confidence. While Irving is not ready to play against the 49ers, a potential return against the Lions would be a huge boost for Tampa Bay in arguably their toughest test yet. Until then, keep an eye on Irving’s practice reports to see how he is progressing.
Bucky Irving and Rachaad White’s Fantasy Outlook
Irving is one of the more promising young players in the game and that, along with the limited expectations competition wise in the NFC South, could result in a cautious approach.
Tampa Bay hosts San Francisco this week before consecutive road games (the Lions and Saints) ahead of their Week 9 bye. Could we be looking at zero snaps in the month of October?
Regardless of when he returns, Irving is a lineup lock across the board. He was a top 15 producer in each of the first weeks, a nice accomplishment when you consider that he’s yet to hit a home run in the ground game (longest carry: 16 yards).
Unless reports point in a different direction, I’m going to assume that Irving will walk right back into his bellcow role when cleared medically (Weeks 1-4: 73.8% of RB touches) and ready to carry your team when it matters most.
- Week 16 at Panthers
- Week 17 at Dolphins
- Week 18 vs. Panthers
In the meantime, we kind of know what White is at this point, don’t we? Through 55 career games, the 26-year old is averaging 3.8 yards per carry while hauling in 89.4% of his targets.
He’s not a current-day Theo Riddick because he’s had moments where he’s been trusted with high levels of volume on the ground, but in terms of a strengths and weaknesses profile, it’s a similar look.
White was the lead back on Sunday in Irving’s absence and will likely be the RB1 again this week. That role paired with his savvy in the passing game makes him a starter in most formats, but understand that the 14 carries for 41 yards from last week isn’t exactly an outlier.
If he can cash in the short carries, there is low-end RB1 potential to chase. The floor is enough to operate with confidence, especially after a week in this situation where Sean Tucker wasn’t a major factor.
I don’t think White has much of a chance to take work off of Irving’s plate long-term, but as long as the shoulder is barking at the starter, you’ve got a weekly asset on your hands, especially in PPR formats.