Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving is managing a hip injury heading into Week 15. Will he play vs. the Chargers?
Game day update: Bucky Irving is expected to play on Sunday, per Adam Schefter.
One of the best fantasy football running backs this season has been Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving. Irving entered the season behind Rachaad White, but has taken over the backfield and been a fun player to watch. With the Buccaneers entering the final stretch of the season in control of the NFC South, they will hope to have their top running back available as he manages an injury.
According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving will be listed as questionable heading into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Irving aggravated his hip injury and missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday. However, Irving did practice in a limited capacity on Friday. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Saturday morning that Irving hopes to play against the Chargers. Said Fowler,
“Tampa Bay running back Bucky Irving (back/hip) has been feeling better later this week and hopes to play, per a source. He re-aggravated his hip pointer injury from a week ago but is trending in the right direction.”
This is the same injury that Irving was managing last week before playing against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, Irving was limited to just three carries for four yards. After not practicing in full this week, it’s uncertain how the Buccaneers will manage Irving in Week 15.
Irving will be a player to monitor on Sunday as the Buccaneers are set to play the Chargers at 4:25 p.m. ET.
While fantasy football managers would love to be able to start the best waiver wire pickup of the season in Bucky Irving, that could be a risk as the fantasy football playoffs begin. Irving only saw four carries last week. Irving left the game against the Raiders last week with a back injury and the Buccaneers may look to rest him for a week so that he is ready for the final three games of the season.
Even if Irving was playing at 100 percent this week, the Chargers are a difficult matchup against the run. The Chargers have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs this season. They’ve allowed just six rushing touchdowns which is tied with the Denver Broncos for the fewest in the NFL.
If Irving is unable to play on Sunday, the Buccaneers would likely elevate rookie D.J. Williams from the practice squad as a third running back. However, the two key players to watch are Rachaad White and Sean Tucker.
Last week, White unsurprisingly led the way with 17 carries and the Buccaneers would lean on him again with Irving out. While Tucker played just 11 snaps last week, he may get more snaps to keep both players fresh.
This is a tough matchup against the Chargers, but if there is a Buccaneers running back to start, that player is White. White has shown the ability to carry the load and be a productive fantasy running back. He projects as a low-end RB2 or flex option against a stingy Chargers run defense.
