Rachaad White Ready to Produce in Week 6 With Bucky Irving Looking Doubtful

With Bucky Irving expected to miss Week 6, Rachaad White will continue to operate as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ lead back against the San Francisco 49ers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) attempts to stiff arm Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper Dejean (33) during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was sidelined last week against the Seattle Seahawks, and according the ESPN Insider Adam Schefter, he is not expected to suit up this week against the San Francisco 49ers either. Irving is dealing with both a shoulder subluxation and a foot sprain. The shoulder injury seems to be the bigger issue of the two injuries. With Irving again sidelined in Week 6, Rachaad White will step in as the starter, and Sean Tucker will back him up.  

Turns out that Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving’s shoulder injury, which he did not report to the team until Tuesday last week, is more of an issue than his sprained foot, per sources. Irving is dealing with a shoulder subluxation that is expected to sideline him at least two weeks.… pic.twitter.com/HMxBrLTQ4E

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 5, 2025

Fantasy Football Impact of Bucky Irving Injury

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White (1) runs with the ball against the New York Jets in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

RB Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With Irving out again, White is bumped up into the RB2 range for Week 6. He saw bell-cow usage last week, handling 14 carries and seeing four targets. White rushed for 41 yards and two TDs last week and caught all four of his targets for 30 yards. Irving's absence bumps up White's already significant touchdown and PPR upside, while also giving him a solid floor because he's also handling the bulk of the carries. In Week 5, Tucker saw just three carries and three targets, which he took for a total of -1 yard. He did nothing to cut into White's workload.

TE Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With Irving out, Otton saw a significant uptick in production. Whether that's a direct correlation to the absence of Irving or not can be debated; however, what can't be debated is that Otton saw his most targets, receptions, and yardage totals in Week 5. He went for 81 yards against the Seahawks after having just 34 yards the entire season and nine total yards the previous two games. We would cautiously give Otton a bump up the rankings with Irving out and more short passes available for the tight end.

WR Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Again, it's not clear if the increased passing production is directly related to Irving's injury, but with him sidelined last week, Emeka Egbuka was the WR1 overall on the week and had the best game of his young career. He caught all seven of his targets for 163 yards and a TD. It was a great game, and we'd hope to see that production continue. Not only is Irving once again sidelined, but Chris Godwin is also dealing with soreness as he continues to return to form from his fibula injury. 

QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) prepares to throw the ball during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Raymond James Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

If both Otton and Egbuka had their best games of the season, it stands to reason that Mayfield also had a big game. He threw for 379 yards and two TDs, and was also the team's second-leading rusher with 15 yards. We don't know for sure if Irving being out boosted the volume and production, but we know for sure that it didn't hurt.