After another monster performance, Sam Wallace asks the question we’re all wondering — is Bucky Irving a league winner in fantasy football?

League winners come in many different shapes and sizes. While we all want to find value at every draft pick, there's no greater feeling than hitting on a late-round (or waiver wire) pick and having that player carry you to fantasy glory.

We're nearing the fantasy playoffs which means any potential league winners are about to make themselves known to the world … and there's one player in particular who stands out among the rest.

Bucky Irving - Fantasy Football League Winner?

How Did Bucky Irving Break Out?

It's a wonderful thing when talent and opportunity come together. While it took some time before a true breakout performance happened, Bucky Irving was quietly laying the groundwork for a late-season surge back in Week 1.

Irving, a Day 3 pick for the Buccaneers, came in as the RB9 in our Rookie RB Model. There wasn't much about his profile that jumped off the screen, especially when he fell outside of the top three rounds.

 

However, even back in Week 4, when he was already averaging 10-plus touches per game, Head Coach Todd Bowles came out and said that the promising rookie had earned more snaps.

If only we had paid closer attention then.

Third-year RB Rachaad White was the presumptive starter, but had been wildly inefficient throughout his career. In his first two seasons, he averaged only 3.7 and 3.6 yards per carry, respectively.

Irving, however, had demonstrated a history of desirable traits at the college level that translate well to the NFL. Check these out:

  • 2022: 67 missed tackles forced (15th nationally), 172.4 elusive rating (6th)
  • 2023: 69 missed tackles forced (10th), 149.2 elusive rating (13th)

Those were really strong numbers that ranked right up there with some of the best RB prospects in college football over the past two seasons.

Bucky Irving's Midseason Surge

I mentioned how it's a wonderful thing when talent and opportunity come together. It's even better when coach-speak turns out to be prophetic. Heading into Week 5, after Todd Bowles mentioned Irving earning more touches, we saw the transformation start to take shape.

Irving went from being a rookie we were casually keeping eyes on to an every-week starter in your fantasy lineups. From Weeks 5-10 (Week 11 bye), Irving averaged 13.7 points per game and handled 13.5 touches per game.

 

Despite the surge in usage and meaningful fantasy production, Tampa Bay was still stuck deploying a three-way committee with White, Irving, and Sean Tucker all seeing at least 26% of the rushing workload during that time frame (Weeks 5-10).

 

It would have been hard to blame anyone for still being skittish on Irving being a true league-winner based on what the reality was of this backfield. Even so, certain members of the Fantasy Life team were dropping not-so-subtle hints.

During Tampa's Week 11 bye, Jonathan Fuller tabbed Irving as a fantasy football trade target with league-winning upside. He highlighted how Irving was clearly the superior rusher, but also wasn't far behind White as a pass catcher. Finally, he cited the rest-of-season schedule for the Bucs and how, even if the current split remained the same, Irving still offered immense upside.

Bucky Irving Is A League Winner

Then, Weeks 12 & 13 happened.

Tampa Bay came out of its bye week with its mind set on making Irving the focal point of the rushing attack. Not only did he maintain (and extend) his lead as the primary rusher, but he obliterated White in the receiving game as well.

Over the last two weeks, Irving tallied:

  • 37 rushing attempts
  • 240 rushing yards
  • 9 targets
  • 9 receptions
  • 97 receiving yards
  • 2 TDs

For comparison, Irving's total touches in that span (46) were more than White (25) and Tucker (5) combined.

Tampa Bay's remaining schedule is relatively soft from a rush-defense perspective, so White will certainly still have a role and Tucker could vulture a short-yardage TD. Even so, if there was ever any doubt – this backfield belongs to Irving now, and yes, he is a league winner.

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