Fantasy Football Player Notes

What a rookie season Bucky Irving had. Not only did he average 5.4 yards per carry, but he averaged 3.93 yards after contact per carry -- the most among all running backs with 60 or more rushing attempts. Irving forced 62 missed tackles last year, which ranked eighth, and all the running backs who forced more missed tackles last year had more carries than Irving. There were seven games in which Irving played more than half of the Buccaneers' offensive snaps, including their one playoff game, and in those seven games he averaged 127.3 yards from scrimmage per game and scored six touchdowns. Irving displaced Rachaad White as the Bucs' lead RB down the stretch last season and should continue to hold that job. Invest with confidence.

After a triumphant 2023 season in which he had 1,539 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns, finishing RB4 in PPR fantasy scoring, Rachaad White lost his lead-RB job to Bucky Irving in 2024. White was still a useful contributor who caught 51 passes, had 1,006 yards from scrimmage and scored nine touchdowns. But Irving was sensational, and White played fewer than 40% of the offensive snaps in the Buccaneers' last two regular-season games and their one playoff game. White is a worthwhile handcuff, and his pass-catching ability might give him a tiny bit of stand-alone value in PPR leagues, but he's now mostly just a later-round depth piece.