Bucky

Irving

According to the site, Irving’s “recovery and rehab are not expected to significantly impact his offseason preparation.” Irving missed multiple games due to a foot and shoulder injury last season, but it was the shoulder injury that kept him sidelined until his return in Week 13. With Rachaad White likely leaving via free agency, Irving could be in line for a bell cow role for the Bucs in 2026. The third-year back rushed for 173-588-1 last season but averaged 20.3 touches per game when active. Hopefully a full offseason to recover will have him back to his rookie form after his efficiency numbers dwindled late last season.

“There’s not a run concept that he can’t run,” Robinson said. It was certainly a disappointing 2025 season between injury and an inability to stick on the field in the red zone, but Irving appears to be entering 2026 as the lead back for an offensive coordinator who believes in him. And with Rachaad White a free agent, to boot, it seems likely that Irving is primed for a 2026 rebound.

Robinson joined Atlanta two years ago when the team hired Raheem Morris as their head coach. He had previously worked under Sean McVay for five years, working his way up to pass game coordinator for the final two. Robinson started off strong, getting Atlanta to 13th in points scored despite Kirk Cousins struggling in his first year as a Falcon. The switch to Michael Penix in 2025 didn’t go as planned and the team cratered to 24th in scoring. The hope for Baker Mayfield and company will be that Robinson was simply dealt a bad hand in Atlanta. The hiring bodes particularly well for Bucky Irving. Atlanta ranked top-10 in rushing yards in both of Robinson’s seasons with the team.

Irving didn’t find a ton of running room against Carolina with a long gain of just nine, but he did enough to keep the chains moving in a game where the Buccaneers ran the football 42 times against 22 passes. It’s a typical effort for Irving this year, as he just hasn’t been able to break off the big gains after his impressive rookie campaign. Irving is a good bounceback candidate for 2026, and could play a playoff game next week if the Saints beat the Falcons.

The story of the last few weeks has been a backfield committee and stumbling offense for Irving. He had an inefficient day, turning nine carries into 19 yards, with a longest run of 12 yards. On the bright side, he was finally involved in the passing game, catching five passes for a mere 14 yards. The closest Irving got to scoring was a third quarter drive where he was tackled inside the 10-yard line on a red zone carry, though he was dropped for a loss on the next carry and subsequently substituted out of the game. Irving has not seen high leverage usage in the Bucs’ backfield committee, but still leads the way in snaps and opportunities. He will close out the season as a low-end fantasy RB2 in a battle for the division against the Panthers in Week 18.

Fantasy managers got a pure rushing day from Irving as he did not see a single target in this game, plodding his way to 3.7 yards per carry. He broke out a long run of 12 yards, but was otherwise kept in check by the Panthers’ defensive front. Irving is the early-down back, but has lost red zone snaps to Rachaad White and Sean Tucker as well, capping his fantasy ceiling. He led the trio with 40 snaps and 15 routes run, but did not have fruitful production. The closest he came to scoring was a red zone rush where he was tackled at the one-yard line in the first quarter. Irving has had a frustrating output for the fantasy playoffs and should be considered a fantasy RB2 for Week 17 against the Dolphins.

Irving also caught one of his three targets and picked up 11 yards. The 23-year-old had some decent runs, but outside of a 16-yard burst he wasn’t able to get into the Atlanta secondary, and he saw Sean Tucker vulture a touchdown from him early in the contest. Irving should see a similar amount of touches in Week 16 against the Panthers.

Irving has been playing through the same shoulder injury since returning in Week 13, which may become the norm for the remainder of the season. The team listing him as a full participant on Monday’s report is a good sign for his Week 15 availability against the Falcons.

With the Bucs struggling to pass without LT Tristan Wirfs and dialing up obvious runs in rainy Tampa conditions, none of their three backs could get anything going in the efficiency department. So fantasy managers breathed a sigh of relief when Irving contributed a 24-yard receiving score in the first quarter. Beyond that, there just wasn’t anything doing beyond a 32-yard, non-scoring run. Irving has now found the end zone twice in two games since returning, but his 32 rushes have produced just 116 yards — a rough 3.6 YPC. Hopefully he can maintain that volume but chew more meat off the bone in a plus Week 15 matchup with the Falcons.

Irving totaled 19 touches in his first game back from a lengthy injury, finishing as the half-PPR RB14. It was a promising showing. Irving can be treated as a trusted RB1 against the Saints this weekend, once again operating as the Buccaneers’ clear-cut lead back.