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Will Bucky Irving start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he returns? Aidin Ebrahimi breaks down the Bucky Irving return timeline and fantasy football outlook.
Bucky Irving caught many NFL fans and fantasy football managers by surprise in the 2024 season. He was the PPR RB8 from Week 8 to Week 18, and finished his rookie campaign with 1,514 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns.
Irving had a similarly hot start to the 2025 season, as he was the PPR RB9 before suffering an injury in Week 4. Former RB1 Rachaad White has been the team's starter since Irving went down, with Sean Tucker getting some touches as well.
Will Irving be the Buccaneers' starting running back when he returns? Let's dive in.
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Will Bucky Irving Start For The Buccaneers When He Returns?
Bucky Irving worked hard to dislodge Rachaad White in 2024, as he started to get more touches than White in the second half of the season, and especially the final four games, in which Irving had 81 touches compared to White's 34.
1st and goal? Nope
2nd and goal? Nope
3rd and goal? Nope
4th and goal? NopeSAINTS BALL.
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/nvJOrmfTon
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 26, 2025
This led to Irving officially becoming the team's starting back in the 2024 playoffs, getting 19 touches to White's three in their Wild Card loss to the Commanders.
This trend continued in the first four games of the 2025 season, as Irving started every game and had 90 touches to White's 31. However, Irving's injury after Week 4 presented a golden opportunity for White to get his starting spot back.
White, who is chasing an extension in the offseason, looked solid in Weeks 5 and 6, as he racked up 157 yards and scored three touchdowns while getting 38 touches.
However, he failed to provide a spark for the Bucs in their Week 5 loss to the Lions and had a nightmarish performance against the Saints in Week 6, as he was stopped for no gain on three consecutive runs on the one-yard line.
When the Bucs found themselves in a similar situation at the Saints' one-yard line later in the game, White did not get a single opportunity, as Sean Tucker got touches on second and fourth down, with the latter resulting in a touchdown.
Tucker hasn't done much to establish himself in the Bucs' rushing game, putting up 72 yards and two touchdowns on 26 touches in the last four games.
It's clear that Irving is still Tampa Bay's RB1 as he recovers during their bye week.
Bucky Irving Fantasy Football Outlook
As a rookie, Bucky Irving became the first Buccaneers running back since the late Doug Martin to rush for over 1,000 yards. He's also the fifth Bucs RB to have achieved this feat since 2000, with the other RBs on that list being Martin, LeGarrette Blount, Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, and Warrick Dunn.
BUCKY IRVING 72-YARD TD
PHIvsTB on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/a4mwpvFFUz
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
It's obvious that Irving is a special talent, and he's getting closer to returning in Week 10 after missing four games and getting another week of rest this week during the bye.
The Bucs did not place him on Injured Reserve when he initially went down, which means they didn't expect him to miss any time after the bye.
Irving and the Bucs will face off against several weak rushing defenses, such as the Bills (31st in fewest rushing yards allowed), the Saints (22nd), the Falcons (21st), and the Dolphins (28th).
Other opponents, such as the Patriots and Cardinals, have allowed over 30 receiving yards per game to running backs, and Irving's ability as a receiver could help him have big fantasy performances against them.
Mike Evans' injury will force the Bucs to rely on their rushing attack even more, and with the team expected to move on from Rachaad White after this season, the team will rely heavily on Irving.
As soon as Irving returns, which could be Week 10, he'll be a must-start fantasy running back.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Popular Week 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 9 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Tyrone Tracy Jr., Rico Dowdle, Quentin Johnston, Kareem Hunt, Woody Marks compared to others:
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