Buccaneers RB Rachaad White is now questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles because of illness, according to multiple reports. Players most commonly play through such designations for illness. But the late arrival of White's issue could factor into his availability. RB Bucky Irving is also questionable with a hamstring injury, though he has said he expects to play and appeared to be moving well when testing it out Saturday. We'll check both Tampa Bay RBs when Sunday's inactives arrive.
Bucs RB Bucky Irving (hamstring) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Eagles. He went from a limited practice on Wednesday to no practice on Thursday to limited again on Friday. “Looked like his hamstring wasn’t limiting him today at practice,” insider Greg Auman tweeted Friday. We’re expecting Irving to play, but the hamstring issue adds risk to a guy who was already a fringey RB3.
Bucs RB Bucky Irving (hamstring) did not practice on Thursday. It's a downgrade from his limited workout on Wednesday. Irving told reporters that he'll play vs. the Eagles this weekend, but take that with a hefty grain of salt. We'll see if the rookie gets back on the field on Friday and then how he's listed on the final injury report. His absence would be a significant boost to RB Rachaad White's Week 4 fantasy value.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles said Monday that RB Bucky Irving "has definitely earned more reps." Irving was out-snapped 42 to 18 by RB Rachaad White in the Week 3 loss to the Broncos. Bowles said that was due to his team playing from behind. White remains the preferred back in passing situations. But it sounds like that gap in snaps should shrink in the coming weeks.
The rookie ran nine times for 70 yards adding three catches for 14 yards while Rachaad White had six rushes for 17 yards and five catches for 18 yards.
Bucs RB Rachaad White suffered a groin injury in the first quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Lions and is officially questionable to return. Stay tuned for an update. White's absence leaves rookie Bucky Irving as Tampa Bay's lead back.
Update: White returned to the game later in the first quarter.
Asked about his plans for the backfield on Wednesday, Bucs HC Todd Bowles said it'll change on a "game-by-game basis" and be a "hot-hand" situation. Bowles also confirmed that RB Rachaad White will start Sunday's opener vs. the Commanders.
The Buccaneers drafted Oregon RB Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Irving earned 133 carries as a freshman at Minnesota, but left after that season. He transferred to Oregon in 2022 and immediately earned a 1A backfield role. That year, the 192-pounder showed surprising power with 4.36 yards after contact per attempt. Nearly 22% of his carries went for 10+ yards en route to a career-best 6.8 yards per carry. Irving struggled with drops, but that issue proved less worrisome in 2023. Irving even led the nation in receptions by a RB (55). He showed scheme versatility by lining up out wide on 13.2% of his passing snaps. He played the slot nearly 10% of the time. On the ground, Irving remained productive while running both gap and zone concepts. The junior posted career highs in carries (186), yards (1,192), and TDs (11). By mid-winter, it looked like Irving had a chance to be among the first couple of RBs selected. Then came a horrid NFL Combine that included a 2.25 Relative Athletic Score. Irving posted a 26th-percentile broad jump (9'7) and 4th-percentile vertical (29.5 inches). He came off the board sixth among RBs, though, and lands in a Tampa Bay backfield that presents opportunity. Rachaad White enjoyed a breakout 2023 but did so primarily thanks to touch volume. He ranked sixth-lowest among qualifiers in rush yards over expected per attempt, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Among 63 RBs with at least 60 carries, White ranked just 48th in yards after contact per attempt (according to Pro Football Focus). He even checked in just 27th in PFF receiving grade among 61 RBs with at least 20 targets. Expect Irving to siphon some work from White right away, with a chance to keep earning more. This is a good landing spot for Irving's dynasty outlook. We'll see where he lands in rookie ADP.
Oregon RB Bucky Irving posted a weak 3.71 Relative Athletic Score in Scouting Combine testing Saturday. That ranks 1,111 among 1,765 RBs since 1987, according to RAS.football. That's not good, but it's also not necessarily a killer. We need only look back two years to find Kyren Williams scoring even lower in his Combine workout. The fifth-round pick of the Rams endured a quiet rookie campaign before a breakthrough 2023. Like Williams, Irving delivered a productive college career. That included leading the Ducks in carries and yards per carry each of the past two years, averaging 6.2 yards per rush for his career, averaging 8.3 yards per catch for his career, and tallying 95 career receptions. His Combine testing should temper excitement for his NFL upside and seems likely to hurt his draft status. But it certainly doesn't kill his chances of becoming fantasy relevant.
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