Bucky Irving Still Sidelined Wednesday

Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder) did not practice on Wednesday. HC Todd Bowles said that Irving has been running but has not been cleared for contact. That seemingly makes him unlikely to play vs. the Patriots this weekend. When we last saw Tampa Bay in Week 8, the gap between RBs Rachaad White and Sean Tucker got much tighter. White played 57% of the offensive snaps and handled 13 carries and two targets; Tucker registered a 34% snap rate with 12 carries and 0 targets. White remains the better fantasy bet if Irving is out, especially this week against a New England defense that's much tougher against the run than the pass. But he looks more like a mid-range RB2 than the RB1 we were treating him as prior to Week 8.