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When is Bucky Irving coming back? Will Bucky Irving play again this season? Read about Buck Irving's return date and injury updates for 2025 as of Week 13.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving got off to a great start to the season with four straight strong weeks as one of the top playmakers in the offense. He looked ready for an impressive second season out of Oregon and well on his way to locking himself in to a weekly fantasy star.
However, the 23-year-old has missed the last seven games for the Bucs while battling multiple injuries. If you have Irving on your team, you've definitely been anxiously awaiting his return to the field, and it looks like it finally be close.
When is Irving returning to action? What is his fantasy football outlook when he gets back on the field? Let's dive in.
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Bucky Irving Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Irving was dealing with both a foot injury and a shoulder injury while he was sidelined. He sustained a sprained foot in the team's Week 4 loss to the Eagles and was seen on crutches and in a walking boot after the game. While that injury made him "week-to-week," Adam Schefter reported that his shoulder subluxation was actually more of the issue than his foot.
Originally, the team seemed optimistic that Irving would not miss extended time and did not place him on IR. With a bye in Week 9, they also hoped he could return in Week 10, but he wasn't able to get back on the practice field until after Week 10. After he was limited all week leading up to Week 11 and Week 12, Coach Todd Bowles said that he was past his foot injury and only limited by the shoulder issue.
In preparation for Week 13, Bowles had better news to report about his availability but also indicated that the young running back had some mental health issues that arose during his recovery. Bowles said that Irving is “in a good place” now after seeking additional support during his time away, which is extremely important for any player or person facing mental health issues.
Video: Todd Bowles says Bucky Irving “didn’t handle it well” dealing with his injuries but is “definitely” trending toward playing next week vs. Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/u0LNzr10WY
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) November 21, 2025
As long as everything in practice goes well this week, it looks like Irving will play in Week 13 against the Cardinals. He's been putting in full practices and should be ready to get back on he field after missing eight weeks (seven games) of the season.
Bucky Irving Fantasy Football Outlook
The situation Irving will return to will also be fascinating to watch. Sean Tucker and Rachaad White have both had expanded roles and solid production in his absence, and Tucker especially emerged as a fantasy option in the last few weeks.
Tucker exploded for a huge game against the Bills with three touchdowns and 140 scrimmage yards. He also served as the lead back against the Rams, although he was held in check with just 42 rushing yards on 12 carries and one catch for four yards.
Before his injury, Irving was playing over 70% of snaps with White mixing in a little bit. With Tucker's emergence, there could be more of a timeshare, especially in his first games back. He did show impressive upside as the featured back early in the year, though, producing 237 rushing yards, 193 receiving yards, and two touchdowns.
BUCKY IRVING 72-YARD TD
PHIvsTB on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/a4mwpvFFUz
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
His situation is also further complicated by an injury to Baker Mayfield (shoulder), who could miss his first game since joining the Bucs this week, leaving Teddy Bridgewater to start against the Cardinals. While Arizona is a favorable matchup, Bridgewater's starting could mean the offense leans more on the running game, but it isn't clear which running back he will be most comfortable with.
Irving has a very high ceiling but a wide range of outcomes in his return. He'll be a boom-or-bust option in his return this week, but he could be set up for lots of success if he and Baker both get healthy for the stretch run.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 13 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Devin Neal, Emanuel Wilson, Troy Franklin, Sean Tucker, Wan'Dale Robinson, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 13. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 13 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 13 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Devin Neal, Emanuel Wilson, Troy Franklin, Sean Tucker, Wan'Dale Robinson, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 13.
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 13 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 13 (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 13 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 13 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Devin Neal, Emanuel Wilson, Troy Franklin, Sean Tucker, Wan'Dale Robinson, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs compared to others:
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