Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving suffered a hamstring injury and is listed as questionable for today’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. What happened to Irving, and is he playing against Philly?
What’s the Latest on Bucky Irving’s Injury?
After getting in a limited practice on Friday, Irving is active for today’s game against the Eagles, and he’s good to go.
Interestingly, Rachaad White popped up on the injury report as well due to food poisoning. While he’s playing and reportedly feeling better, it’s possible Irving could see an increased workload if White isn’t feeling well.
It was surprising to see Irving on the injury report, as he didn’t appear to get hurt during Sunday’s 26-7 loss to the Denver Broncos.
In fact, he was one of the lone bright spots for the Buccaneers last week. Despite playing just 18 snaps, Irving finished the game with 62 yards on just nine carries (compared to 31 yards on 15 carries for Rachaad White).
Irving played so well that head coach Todd Bowles said that he has earned more snaps going forward.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles was talking up Bucky Irving recently, telling the media that even though White got on the field a lot against Denver, that Bucky Irving has “earned more snaps”.
Good to see for the rookie who can make some really good plays. 🤩pic.twitter.com/u74EwTeXQD
— Hutchinson Brown (@hutchinsonb_ff) September 23, 2024
Irving was limited in practice on Wednesday and missed practice entirely on Thursday. He joins the lengthy list of players who have suffered mid-week injuries this season, which also includes A.J. Brown, Davante Adams, Nico Collins, George Kittle, Bijan Robinson, and Dionate Johnson.
Irving wouldn’t reveal how (or when) he hurt his hamstring, but he seemed confident that he’ll be able to play in Sunday’s game against the Eagles.
“I feel pretty great. I look forward to playing on Sunday,” Irving said, according to FOX Sports’ Greg Auman. Later in the interview, Irving reiterated: “I’ll be ready for the game on Sunday.”
Fortunately, this injury seems very minor and shouldn’t limit Irving, who has been Tampa Bay’s best RB so far this season. Irving has rushed for 154 yards on 6.2 yards per carry, while White has just 66 yards on 2.1 yards per carry.
Bucky Irving Fantasy Outlook
One of the coolest early-season stories for the Bucs is the rise of Irving. Last year, we saw White inundated with volume because the team simply did not roster another NFL-caliber running back. This year, they most definitely have one.
Irving has seen a consistent role over the first three weeks of the season. He’s played around one-third of the snaps in every game and is handling seven to nine carries.
While Irving’s role hasn’t grown, it’s already way more than any of White’s backups had last year. If Irving keeps playing like this, I expect a full-blown 50/50 timeshare by midseason. The only thing that could derail the Irving train would be injury.
Given how explosive Irving has been averaging 6.1 yards per touch, you hate to see him listed on the practice report with a hamstring issue. Fortunately, it seems the Bucs were just being cautious with their rookie running back.
If Irving continues to be vastly superior to the worst pure runner in the NFL, Irving could emerge into a viable RB3. For now, though, he’s a high-upside handcuff/injury fill-in. He’s not quite startable, but Irving should be rostered in every league.
For the second time in three weeks, the rookie handled exactly nine carries (with a 30+ yard attempt) and three targets. For an explosive player like this, anything in that 10-15 opportunity neighborhood is going to put him on Flex radars, especially in an offense that prefers to use the short passing game as a supplement to the traditional ground game at times.
Against the Broncos, Irving picked up 32 yards on a nice play design that slanted all offensive movement to the left before a quick handoff to Irving and a sprint to the right, the type of design that is schemed up for a player that is identified as a game-breaker (the Chiefs have tried those sorts of action with Xavier Worthy, and the Cowboys would get creative in ways like this when Tony Pollard was playing behind Ezekiel Elliott).
Irving was tackled at the one-yard line on a 13-yard rush; otherwise, his fantasy box score looks even more impressive. Without those additional 6.1 points, is it possible that he can still be had at a relative discount?