Sean Tucker active for Week 2 vs. Browns

The Buccaneers’ No. 1 running back is on track to play in Week 7 against the Panthers. The offense is expected to be led by Baker Mayfield (thumb), who will play with a protective plate on his hand to prevent re-injury. Irving should be good to go this week and can be treated as a high-end RB2, as usual.

Tucker should be back after missing Week 6’s loss to the Steelers. He doesn’t offer much fantasy value of his own, but he does occasionally plunder goal-line work from Bucky Irving. Expect him to be a thorn in Irving’s side again this week.

Players missing time because of an illness this early in the weekend almost always get cleared to play by Sunday. We expect no difference from Irving. Coming off his third 20-touch game of the year, Irving remains a high-end RB2 for his Week 7 date with the Panthers.

Irving was bottled up on nearly every attempt, with the Steelers’ defensive front simply winning the battle in the trenches far too often. On the bright side, Irving out-carried Kenneth Gainwell 19-2 and saw three targets to Gainwell’s one. The role was there. The production was not. That role was also bolstered by the absence of Sean Tucker, who missed today’s game with a quad injury. Irving will remain in the RB2 mix for Week 7 versus the Panthers, but Tampa Bay’s grizzly offensive environment will prevent him from cracking the RB1 ranks.

Tucker has stolen the occasional goal line carry from Bucky Irving this year, though he only has eight attempts in total. His absence will move Irving up a spot or two in the RB2 ranks.

Despite seeing just eight total carries this year, Tucker has two attempts inside the five compared to one for Bucky Irving. Though he isn’t leaving that many total carries behind, Tucker’s absence will still create some extra fantasy value for Irving, who is on the RB1/2 border for Week 6.

Tucker is officially listed as questionable. If he ends up being inactive, that is good news for Bucky Irving, who handled 23 touches last week, ceding seven to Kenny Gainwell and five to Tucker. Irving warrants borderline RB1/2 treatment at this time.

Tucker missed Wednesday’s session with a quad issue. He previously missed one game due to a hamstring injury. Tucker should be good to go for Week 6, though we don’t expect much fantasy production from the Bucs’ RB3. He has eight carries and zero catches over the past two weeks.

Irving cashed in on an early touchdown on the team’s first possession on a reception from quarterback Jalon Daniels on a leak to the right side of the formation, otherwise having a relatively quiet first half. Things would change in a hurry after the break as Irving ripped off a 72-yard explosive run on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. He would cash in on his second trip to paint on the following drive from one yard out before somewhat confusingly retreating to the sideline without his helmet the following two possessions. That raised speculation that his glute injury had flared up, a notion he would dispel in the fourth quarter as he helped to ice the game. This game goes down as his first 100-yard rushing game since Week 16 of his rookie season in 2024. Irving remains a volatile RB2 ahead of a Week 6 meeting with the Steelers.

Bucs OC Zac Robinson talked about getting Tucker the ball more earlier this week. Tucker entered this game with zero touches on offense. Though his role was limited, Robinson subbed him in where it counts the most and Tucker punched in a goal line score in the first half. He still doesn’t have much standalone fantasy value, but Tucker reclaiming the goal line role he had last year would be brutal for Bucky Irving’s fantasy outlook. Tucker is, at best, a touchdown-based RB5 for Week 5 versus Dallas.