Bucky Irving started out slowly, as many rookies do. By the end of the season, though, he was the clear running back 1 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and wound up being one of the best values of the season. Now entering his sophomore season as the unquestioned lead back, should fantasy football managers be eyeing up Irving in fantasy drafts?
Should You Draft Bucky Irving in Fantasy?
Irving exceeded all expectations as a third-round rookie last season. He averaged 14.4 points per reception (PPR) fantasy points per game, finishing as the overall RB19. That was an incredible return on investment for what was essentially a handcuff pick in fantasy drafts.
However, Irving wasn’t really the RB19. He was unstartable for the first five weeks of the season, playing well behind Rachaad White. Eventually, though, head coach Todd Bowles figured out that White is one of the worst pure runners in the NFL. That, combined with White’s untimely fumbles and Irving’s improved play, led to the rookie eventually taking over.
.@buckyirving only started 3️⃣ games in 2024 😳
🏈 1122 rushing yards
🏈 392 receiving yards
🏈8 touchdowns pic.twitter.com/EeFjmvJPnD— NFL (@NFL) June 8, 2025
From Weeks 6–18, Irving averaged 16.9 points per game (PPG). If we isolate his stats after the Bucs’ Week 11 bye, that jumps to 18.3. Furthermore, if we remove his 2.8 points from Week 14 when he exited early due to injury, we get 20.9.
Volume is king in fantasy football, and pure volume is what made White an effective fantasy asset in 2023. That wasn’t the case with Irving.
The rookie only saw a 49.6% opportunity share on the season. However, he averaged 6.0 yards per touch, fifth in the league, and had a 29.5% evaded tackles per touch rate, third in the league. Efficiency isn’t especially sticky for running backs, but it certainly isn’t a bad thing.
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The Bucs have one of the best run-blocking offensive lines, averaging 1.04 adjusted yards before contact per rush, seventh in the league. Irving is now the clear starter. Tampa Bay also has a subpar defense in a division that should offer plenty of shootouts. The stage is set for Irving to have a massive year.
With that said, Irving is not exactly flying under the radar. He has an RB9 average draft position (ADP) and typically does not make it out of the second round.
I have Irving ranked as my RB8, and he is someone I am aggressively targeting in every draft, unfortunately, with early-round players, where you draft matters. Unless you land an early pick, drafting Irving may not be possible. But to the extent I can, I want Irving on as many teams as possible.
Dan Fornek’s Bucky Irving Fantasy Projection
Bucky Irving came in the clutch for fantasy managers during the last seven weeks of his rookie season. From Weeks 1 to 10, Irving averaged 9.6 carries and 49.2 rushing yards per game while scoring four touchdowns. The rookie was the RB31 in PPR scoring, averaging 11.6 points per game. However, he saw his role (and fantasy scoring) dramatically improve after the bye week.
From Weeks 12 to 18, Irving jumped to the RB9 in points per game (18.3), a total that is even more impressive considering it includes a game with 10 snaps played. Irving averaged 15.9 carries for 90.0 yards and four rushing touchdowns as well as 3.0 receptions for 29.1 receiving yards during that seven-game stretch. Irving was a top-five running back three different times to end his first season. He did all of that despite averaging just a 50.5% snap share during those weeks.
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Not much has changed with the Buccaneers’ rushing attack, although the potential loss of Tristan Wirfs at left tackle to start the season looms large. The Buccaneers still have an above-average offensive line and three running backs (Irving, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker) who have had success running behind them. Because of that, it’s unlikely that Irving will completely dominate the backfield (even if it is fair to expect him to lead in touches).
The second-year running back is teed up to have another strong season, but the presence of White (when healthy) and Tucker will likely cap his snap share throughout the season.
