Sean

Tucker

Well that’s not very good. Tucker couldn’t find solid footing in the rainy Tampa Bay conditions, and ends what was a solid — all things considered — 2025 campaign on a down note. The former Syracuse tailback could be worth monitoring if he changes organizations next year as a restricted free agent. He also could play in a playoff game next week if the Saints beat the Falcons.

White only saw four touches for 17 total yards on the day, but he most notably saw a sizeable chunk of backfield snaps against the Dolphins. He saw 32 snaps to Bucky Irving’s 36 snaps in a pass-favorable game script. Sean Tucker notably had just four snaps, rushing two times for eight yards and failing to catch his only target of the day. Irving is the lead back for the Bucs while White is the passing-down back and Tucker is the short-yardage, goal-line back. It continues to be a frustrating split for fantasy purposes and Irving is the best bet out of the backfield for Week 18 against the Panthers.

Tucker had almost exclusively a red zone role for the Bucs in Week 16. He saw just five snaps, but got four carries. Tucker ran a few times at the goal line, punching one of them in for a one-yard score. The Buccaneers’ running back rotation currently sees Bucky Irving as the primary back, White in for some passing-down usage, and Tucker as the red zone back, making things frustrating for fantasy managers. Tucker is a touchdown-dependent FLEX play for Week 17 against the Dolphins.

Tucker got the scoring started by volturing a touchdown early in the contest. That makes back-to-back games with a trip to paydirt, but it’s also three straight games he hasn’t cleared 30 yards. He’s as touchdown-dependent as you’ll find in the league right now, in terms of offering potential fantasy value. It’s potentially worth noting that Tucker did receive more carries than Rachaad White, as White carried the rock just one time for 20 yards in the loss.

Tucker’s one-yard touchdown in the third quarter came after he set the Bucs up at the Saints’ one-yard line with a 13-yard rumble. The Bucs then went hurry up and he punched it in. The score was nice, but Tucker was a distant third in snaps behind Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, and that should remain a theme for the stretch run as the Bucs try to grind out a rock fight NFC South title.

With Bucky Irving active for the first time since Week 4, Tucker received only one chance to establish the supposed “hot hand,” and he flunked miserably. A distant third in both touches and snaps behind Irving and Rachaad White, Tucker seems to again be on the outside looking in of the Bucs’ backfield rotation. Perhaps that changes if there is Week 14 garbage time against the Saints, but Tucker isn’t looking worth a 12-team league roster spot with the playoffs about to begin.

Speaking with reporters on Friday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that once Irving “gets in, we’ll see how he is rolling, and then between him, Rachaad [White] and Sean [Tucker], we’ll kind of go with the hot hand.” Bowles’ phrasing suggests Irving will be given the first chance to establish the hot hand. The team had already made clear that Irving would be eased into action, so the hot hand approach makes sense. It is never what we want to hear for fantasy purposes, though. Irving is the most talented player of the bunch. If he can get going early, he has a chance to return RB2 value or better, but his floor is lower than it typically would be.

Bowles said that if Irving is fine after Friday’s practice, he will be slated to play on Sunday against the Cardinals. This was the belief dating back to last Friday when Bowles said the team was eyeing a Week 13 return for Irving after ruling him out against the Rams. Irving is sitting on a 71-237-0 rushing line through four games this season and was averaging 22.5 touches per game over that span. While he’s expected to step back into his starting role, it’s hard to predict what his touch totals could look like after the string of success Sean Tucker has had in his absence. Regardless of what his role may look like, Irving still figures to lead the Bucs’ backfield by a wide margin, putting him in the RB1/RB2 mix if he’s activated this week.

Tucker could not rekindle the magic he showed when he accounted for three total touchdowns against the Bills a week ago, this time bottled up by one of the top rush defenses in the league. The Buccaneers managed only 193 yards of total offense as franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield did not return for the second half after injuring his non-throwing shoulder in the second quarter. Tucker’s increased run is likely to take a hit moving forward with Bucky Irving expected back in the lineup for Week 13.

Per Schefter, Irving looked strong in practice and “might have been able to play” in Week 12 versus the Rams, but the Bucs decided to give him one more week of rest. Sean Tucker and Rachaad White will hold down the backfield for one more week. Tucker took over the backfield last week, seeing 19 carries to White’s 10. Tucker ran for 106 yards and two scores. He also found the end zone once through the air. Tucker will push for an RB2 rank this week while White is nothing more than a low-end RB3 in PPR formats.