The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ backfield continues operating without Bucky Irving as Rachaad White and Sean Tucker navigate split duties. Both runners enter Week 11 with questions about their respective workloads. Can fantasy football managers trust either Buccaneers runner this week?
Rachaad White Fantasy Outlook
White has been the clear lead back in every game since Irving went down with injury. Outside of the Bucs’ Week 8 blowout victory over the Saints, White has maintained around a 75-80% snap share while averaging 16-17 opportunities per game.
However, White hasn’t exactly been good with his expanded volume. That’s because he is not a particularly talented player. Since Week 3, White is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, demonstrating poor efficiency despite reasonable opportunity.
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White was supposed to function as a volume-based RB2 for fantasy managers, but White has maxed out at 10.4 fantasy points in each of his last three games. The veteran out-touched Tucker 15-10 last week against New England yet still produced fewer total yards. White averaged 3.8 yards on 10 carries while Tucker broke multiple big runs.
White does maintain one advantage over Tucker that could prove crucial in certain game scripts. He is the superior pass catcher and does his best work in the receiving game. When Tampa Bay falls behind and enters negative game script, White typically remains on the field more frequently than Tucker.
Sean Tucker Fantasy Outlook
Tucker is a far superior runner to White, but he’s been buried on the depth chart for most of the season. Tucker’s largest snap share on the season has been just 34%, limiting his overall opportunity count regardless of efficiency.
However, Tucker has been trending upward recently in terms of workload. In his past two games, Tucker has carried the ball a total of 21 times, showing the coaching staff’s growing willingness to involve him. Tucker out-rushed White in consecutive games heading into Week 11.
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If Tucker can see 10+ opportunities per game, that’s enough to make him fantasy viable for desperate managers. The hope is that the coaching staff recognizes how much better he is as a runner than White and utilizes him more moving forward. Tucker has demonstrated far superior vision and explosiveness when given chances. This would elevate Tucker to touchdown-or-bust RB2 status until Irving returns to the field.
Should You Start White or Tucker This Week?
This week presents a great spot on paper but also a very tricky one for Tampa Bay’s running backs. The Bills are a massive run-funnel defense, allowing the fifth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to running backs.
The Bills are also coming off a very bad 30-13 loss to the Dolphins and likely motivated to bounce back at home. Buffalo’s defense will be aggressive after recording zero takeaways in Week 10, creating potential for turnovers that impact game script.
The Bucs should have success running the ball against this vulnerable defense. However, questions remain about how much they will be able to run if they fall behind. Like most teams in the NFL, Tampa Bay goes very pass-heavy in negative game script, throwing the ball 69% of the time when trailing by at least seven points.
That tendency would favor White, who handles passing-down work more frequently than Tucker. But if the Bucs can keep the game close, both running backs may be viable options. Tucker should be able to run effectively on this defense given his superior explosiveness and vision.
White is definitely the better fantasy option given his established role and pass-catching ability. However, don’t sleep on Tucker if you’re in a deep league or really need someone to provide a floor above zero. Both backs project as RB3 options with Tucker offering boom potential and White providing a safer floor.