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Will Bucky Irving start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he returns? Kyle McCarthy breaks down the Week 10 Bucky Irving return timeline and fantasy football outlook.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder) has four straight games after getting banged up in a 31-25 loss against the Eagles in Week 4. There was optimism that Irving would be able to return in Week 10 following Tampa Bay's Week 9 bye, but the 23-year-old still hasn't been able to practice this week, missing both Wednesday and Thursday's sessions.
In the first four games of the season, Irving led the Tampa Bay backfield as expected and was one of the best running backs in fantasy. The second-year back averaged 18.5 PPR points per game, eighth most among running backs in that span.
So will Irving return to being the RB1 for the Buccaneers when he's back on the field?
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Will Bucky Irving Start For The Buccaneers When He Returns?
Irving will unquestionably lead the Bucs' backfield when he makes his return, though the timeline for that is unknown at this point. Irving has made enough progress in his recovery process to begin running, but is still not quite ready to take on contact to his injured shoulder. The dislocated shoulder injury is reportedly the bigger cause for concern than the foot injury.
Bucky Irving to Miss Another Week of Practice? https://t.co/DLDWabftWf
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 6, 2025
It's unfortunate to see Irving unable to practice following the Bucs' Week 9 bye. It remains to be seen if he can suit up in Week 11 when Tampa Bay goes on the road to face the Buffalo Bills, but he should assume his lead-back duties when he is healthy enough to return.
Irving handled one of the biggest workloads in the league despite his smaller stature. His 90 total touches over the first four games were tied for the third most in the league, with thoroughbreds Jonathan Taylor and Josh Jacobs. Rachaad White has filled the lead back role in his absence for the most part, with Sean Tucker also mixing in.
Bucky Irving Fantasy Football Outlook
Irving was a consensus round two selection in draft season for good reason. His high-value touch profile in one of the league's best offenses, behind an elite offensive line, created a potentially massive fantasy ceiling. The 2024 fourth-rounder out of Oregon delivered on the hype when healthy, but durability was a question with Irving, given his size and the heavy workload.
The 23-year-old is one of the most dynamic running backs in the league when healthy, displaying elite agility and change of direction to evade tacklers and posing as a real mismatch in the passing game.
BUCKY IRVING 72-YARD TD
PHIvsTB on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/a4mwpvFFUz
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
Irving could provide a major jolt down the stretch to fantasy managers' rosters who have been able to weather the storm without him. He projects as a top 10 fantasy running back when healthy, and hopefully, his return to the field is coming soon. Irving is one of the most electric players in the league and could be worth buying low for teams who are well-positioned for the playoffs.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 10 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Kimani Vidal, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Alec Pierce, Parker Washington. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 10. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 10 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kimani Vidal, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Alec Pierce, Parker Washington. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 10.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 10 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 10 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 10 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Kimani Vidal, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Alec Pierce, Parker Washington compared to others:
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