Bucky Irving — 2026 Fantasy Outlook

More on Irving

Irving entered the NFL with below-average speed for the position (4.55 in the 40) and a smaller frame (5'9" and 190 pounds). Pass protection projects as a weak spot, and he'll need to sharpen his vision and patience to handle the tighter running lanes Irving will face at the next level. On the plus side, he breaks tackles well and has enough wiggle to make defenders miss in open space. His question is how Tampa Bay balances his role as a change-of-pace back.

The Buccaneers added Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 draft as depth at the position. He began his college career at Minnesota (133 carries for 699 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman, plus eight catches for 73 yards), then transferred to Oregon, where his role expanded significantly over two seasons (2,950 combined yards, 21 touchdowns, and 87 catches on 429 total touches). The Ducks used him more as a complete back in 2023, when Irving caught 56 passes for 413 yards and two scores, while also rushing effectively in both 2022 (156/1,058/5) and 2023 (186/1,180/11).

Watching his tape, Irving stands out as a player who manufactures something out of nothing. He has a knack for salvaging plays that look dead in the backfield. The Bucs' rising back runs with his eyes up, always looking to either juke a defender or finish through contact. In the open field at the second level, Irving has a real feel for getting defenders off-balance, reminiscent of a young Shaun Alexander. The one thing missing is the long speed to fully cash in once he hits a clean lane.

Tampa Bay used him in a complementary RB2 role for 11 of his 18 games before handing him their lead role over the final four weeks. Irving finished the season with 254 total touches, producing 1,514 combined yards, eight touchdowns, and 47 receptions. He broke off 11 plays of 20-plus yards, four of which went for 40 or more.

His three 100-yard rushing games (25/152/1, 15/117, and 20/113) all came in the final six weeks of the season. A back injury forced him out of Week 14 after just 16 snaps, but excluding that game, Irving averaged 21 touches per outing from Week 12 through Week 19, producing 141.90 fantasy points over that stretch, a strong 20.27 points per game.

Over his first four games in 2025, Tampa gave Irving 22.5 touches per game and about 71% of the Bucs’ running back snaps, leading to him gaining 430 combined yards with two touchdowns and 19 catches (18.50 PPR fantasy points per game) despite gaining only 3.3 yards per carry. Unfortunately, foot and shoulder injuries sidelined him for seven games. His season ended with two productive fantasy games (16.10 and 16.10).

Across his 173 rushes, Irving scored only one touchdown on the ground while losing 2.0 yards per carry from 2024. His explosiveness was still shining in the passing game (30/277/3 – 9.2 yards per catch).