Bucky Irving Should Develop Into A Fantasy Contributor
Bucky Irving was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round with pick 125th overall. Irving is a bit undersized at 190 pounds, but that didn't stop him from racking up 475 carries for 2937 yards (6.2 yards per attempt) and 20 rushing touchdowns, along with 95 receptions for 785 yards (8.3 yards per reception) and 5 receiving touchdowns.
The Bucs were one of the few teams last season that had a workhorse running back in Rachaad White, who had 272 carries with only 3.6 yards per carry. Irving could get more work if this inefficiency holds up for White. Unfortunately, Bucky profiles to be more of a passing down specialist because that is what White did the best (64 receptions, 549 yards, 8.6 yards per reception, and 3 touchdowns).
Graham Barton is a massive addition to the middle of this line, and Tristian Wirfs should be healthy, boosting the blocking ability in front of Irving and White. At the very least, Lim Cohen might want to split the workload more than Dave Canales. If White were injured, Bucky would have an RB1 (since White finished as RB4) upside for as long as White is out.
With White in Irving, I will work as needed but most likely won't be featured. Irving has proven to be explosive even without top-end speed with 69 missed tackles, 743 yards after contact, and 18 carries of over 15+ yards. The back half of the second round in rookie drafts is a decent spot for Irving, but expecting him to contribute heavily in year one could be a mistake. His 182nd ADP is fine, but he really doesn't have a ton of excitement to him.
Our consensus projections for Irving in the 2024 season are 90 carries for 411 yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. As well as 19 receptions, 136 yards, and 1 touchdown.
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