Sean

Tucker

Bucky Irving left this game early with a back issue, but the Bucs leaned on Rachaad White to the tune of 17 carries and three targets. Tucker also had two targets but came down with neither of them. Tucker made a push to force a three-man backfield earlier this year but has since been phased out of the offense. An Irving injury could be his ticket back into the mix. If Irving misses Week 15, we’d expect Tucekr to be more involved. He should be stashed in deeper leagues ahead of his matchup with the Chargers.

Irving entered Sunday listed as questionable with back and hip injuries. The back issue seemingly flared up early in the game and he was pulled in the second quarter. Irving was spotted on the sidelines without his helmet before receiving the questionable designation. Rachaad White will take over as the primary back for Tampa Bay if he can’t return. Sean Tucker should also see an uptick in snaps.

In a nightmare scenario, Tucker capped off the Bucs’ opening drive with a one-yard scoring plunge after Bucky Irving took the offense down to the one. Inconceivably, the Bucs tried to run it back the following series, this time with Vita Vea as the lead blocker. This time, Tucker fumbled. He had saw just one more touch the rest of the afternoon, his reception. That’s despite an entire half of garbage time. Needless to say, the coaching staff must not have been too impressed with the red zone cough up even though they recovered to kick a field goal. The Bucs have seemed intent on creating a three-man committee, but Tucker simply is not good enough to consistently steal touches away from Bucky Irving and Rachaad White.

According to Coen, this was determined during the team’s bye week while they did some self-scouting. We’ll see if anything materializes here, but even if Tucker’s touches to see an increase, it will be more of an annoyance for Rachaad White/Bucky Irving fantasy managers than it will be anything to get excited about for those still holding Tucker. Head coach Todd Bowles said after Tucker’s Week 6 breakout in which he totaled 192 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, that he sees a “three-headed monster” taking shape in Tampa’s backfield. Since then, Tucker has had exactly 13 touches in his last four games, while White and Irving continued to see most of the work. Maybe things will be different after the bye week, but we wouldn’t be holding our collective breaths.

As a result of this lingering issue, Bowles said the team will “limit him during the weeks so that he can play in the games.” In other words, don’t expect to see many reports of Irving being a full participant in many practices going forward. We’ve seen toe/foot injuries that start as minor worsen when players attempt to play through them. Irving is clearly going to attempt to play through whatever ailment he is dealing with, but considering this recent piece of news, fantasy managers rostering Sean Tucker should continue to hold him despite his light workload over the last two weeks.

Tucker played well behind Rachaad White and Bucky Irving in another pass-heavy game for the Bucs. Irving led the Bucs backfield with nine carries while White had six. The two main backs split 13 targets. Tucker would only be fantasy relevant if White or Irving missed time during the season’s second half.

Irving missed the Buccaneers’ previous two practices but got on the field Friday, giving himself a chance at playing in Week 8. Fantasy managers hoping to avoid Tampa’s newly found “three-headed monster” will need to decide whether or not Irving or Sean Tucker is worth throwing into their lineups after both played behind Rachaad White in Week 7’s loss to the Ravens. Irving was bailed out of a pedestrian fantasy day thanks in part to a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, but Tucker’s 4.8 PPR points left much to be desired. Irving was officially listed as questionable on the Bucs’ finally injury report. Taking Bowles at his word, Irving should be good to go by Sunday.

He was the clear third banana as he took an early-downs only share and the Buccaneers spent most of the game trailing. That doesn’t mean he can’t have fantasy value going forward, but it is hard to predict that a big game is coming next week against the Falcons without some affirmative words from the coaching staff about his role.

We will get White’s status for Week 7 when the Bucs release their final injury report on Saturday, but two limited sessions to start the week put him on the right side of questionable heading into the weekend. With both Sean Tucker and Bucky Irving playing well during his Week 6 absence, the outlook for this backfield is a nightmare for fantasy players. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen didn’t make things any better when he said all three backs will get a series early in the game and the Bucs will ride the hot hand from there. The ambiguity will keep White deep in the RB2 ranks if he is cleared for action over the weekend.

Auman, a former Bucs beat writer who now covers the NFC South, said he would “caution” the Tampa Bay backfield “will be a rotation” going forward, with Sean Tucker and Bucky Irving remaining key parts of the team’s offense. “White is probably still the first one in if he’s back healthy, but he’d do well to be productive,” Auman said. “Irving and Tucker have set the bar high for the position and will now get their share as well.” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that Tucker’s Week 6 emergence could create a “three-headed” backfield. White, among the most inefficient runners in the NFL, is in real danger of losing valuable touches in the Tampa backfield.