Fantasy Football Impact: Bucky Irving Out Week 5 with Injury, Start Rachaad White
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The injury bug has hit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Bucky Irving now joins Mike Evans on the sidelines. Tampa Bay will take a hit in their run game, but not as bad as some other teams may endure. Rachaad White is a very capable backup and if you recall, he was a top-ten fantasy football running back in 2023. Does White still have it? Today, we will discuss the implications of the Irving-less Buccaneers offense.
Fantasy Football Impact
Tampa Bay had been vocal in the preseason that Irving was going to be their workhorse back. His proof was in the pudding in 2024 and the former Oregon star has truly made his mark as a premier NFL player. Irving has 63% of team rushes this season and now it will allocate to the next man up that will be White.
White is having a great year despite only 20% of team carries. He is rushing at a clip of 4.7 Yards per Carry and he is the only rusher with a touchdown this season. Sure, the Buccaneers are pass-heavy, but this is still an interesting tidbit that they have just one single rushing touchdown.
Sean Tucker has been a raved about third string running back on Tampa Bay. However, Tucker only has two snaps and one rushing attempt this season. You can fully expect Tucker to have an elevated workload this week, but that goes from literally 1% up to 25%, at best. Expect White to be the workhorse back and full-on fantasy viable as an RB2.
Updated Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings:
Rachaad White: RB17
Sean Tucker: RB42
Buccaneers Week 5 Outlook
The next question to be asked is whether or not White has a favorable matchup. Tampa Bay is traveling to Seattle to face the Seahawks. Seattle is ranking 2nd in the NFL in run stop win rate while the Buccaneers rank 19th in run block win rating. However, the Buccaneers are with a healthy Tristan Wirfs this week which goes a long way. Expect Tampa Bay to have more success in the pass game but given volume, White still remains viable as stated.
Bucky Irving to Miss Week 5
#NFL Injury Updates#Raiders Brock Bowers - Wk 5 TBD. Data thru Thurs favors sitting. LP->DNP progression suggests setback. Was playing thru PCL sprain#Buccaneers Bucky Irving - Likely out Wk 5. Video + reports suggest midfoot sprain. Avg = 2 wks, most would miss Wk 5+6
— Deepak Chona, MD. SMA (@SportMDAnalysis) October 3, 2025
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Irving showed up to practice this week in a walking boot, raising huge concern to fantasy managers. Reports state that Irving has a foot sprain and this would see him out not long term, but potentially 2 weeks at the maximum. In the meantime, White and Tucker pick up the scraps. The Buccaneers should be fine in the meantime as they are among the deepest running back rooms in the NFL. Do not anticipate a huge offensive drop off for this team.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.