Bucky Irving Dominates Backfield in Return

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Sun, Nov 30 2025 11:50 PM UTC

The Buccaneers welcomed RB Bucky Irving back Sunday by re-inserting him as the clear backfield leader. Irving handled 17 of the 21 RB carries in the win over the Cardinals, gaining 61 yards (3.6 per rush) and scoring the team's only ground TD. Rachaad White followed with just 7 yards on two carries. Sean Tucker handled the other two carries for no gain. White led the backfield receiving with 3 catches for 22 yards on three targets. Irving got the other two backfield targets, catching both for 20 yards.

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Bucs HC Todd Bowles said during the week that Irving would "probably be on a pitch count." White then got the start, and Irving didn't touch the ball until Tampa's second drive.

But he finished the first half with nine carries (for 35 yards) to White's two carries and one for Tucker. Irving then handled eight of the nine RB carries in the second half.

To be fair, Bowles never specified what that pitch count would be.

Irving's usage sets him up well for a fine schedule finish. The Buccaneers' strength of schedule ranks just 14th for RB scoring the rest of the way, but it holds four neutral-level matchups.

Expect Irving to land inside our top 24 RBs the rest of the way. And forget about using White or Tucker as long as Irving stays healthy.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.