Bucky Irving Remains Out Due to Injury for Week 8
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The fantasy football impact from the Bucky Irving injury is very telling. Irving will be out for a fourth week while dealing with multiple issues. When Todd Bowles announced the verdict on Wednesday, it was not a surprise at all.
Naturally, the attempt here is to clear some things up and form a timeline or framework of when Irving can return to help fantasy football rosters.
Let us begin first with what this has meant to the Tampa Bay running game and more.
Rachaad White, Bucky Irving, And Holding The Line
The ironclad truth is that Tampa Bay cannot run the ball right now. Other than Week 2 and maybe Week 3, this has been an issue all season long. Irving, after a breakout 2024 campaign, was only averaging 3.3 yards per carry. White was excellent as a 1B back the first two weeks but has slipped considerably in Week 5-7. Here are his averages.
- Week 5 - 2.9
- Week 6 - 3.8
- Week 7 - 3.8
White has not run the ball more than 17 times in any one game. Given how Tampa Bay runs its offense, that is not a shock. His yards per touch are nowhere near the 5+ we saw in Weeks 1 and 2. White's longest touch is an 18-yard catch in 2025. His longest carry is 16 yards. He is having to break more tackles (9.1 per broken tackle) because the line has been less effective run blocking.
Again, the line has been also injury impacted and yet remains one of the best pass-protection groups in the NFL, period. However, that has come at a price. Several pundits had Tampa Bay's line ranked in the middle of the pack because of run blocking. Ironically, that was there they outperformed in 2024. Continuity is king.
The real issue is again all those injuries.
Eagles vs. Buccaneers: Battle on the Lines
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) September 27, 2025
There aren’t many lines in worse shape than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive line
The Buccaneers are without the entire right side of their starting offensive line with both Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauche on injured reserve. Their… pic.twitter.com/eeBLIbwjD6
The ever rotating offensive line has caused a lack of continuity that has wrecked the running game as seen last season. Prime Barry Sanders or Eric Dickerson could not run with this unit. However, pass blocking remains one of the best in the league against all odds.
While Irving and White were likely to regress a little. No one could have expected that regression to be this drastic. Tampa Bay ran for a season-low 41 yards against Detroit in Week 7. The last four weeks have been a huge struggle. It makes Irving or White even with touchdown potential, less of a threat.
When Could Irving Return?
The earliest Irving could return is Week 10. Some mentioned a window between Week 10 and 12 due to "rotator cuff" problems. It feels like the shoulder has been the biggest issue in Irving's return.
We haven’t seen Bucky Irving at Bucs practice in three weeks, but new photo posted on Instagram today shows him wearing something on his left forearm as you would a sling. Second photo from his Insta four days ago. pic.twitter.com/RCcvpKWrxC
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 22, 2025
Tampa Bay has provided few answers to the questions. There are IR limits and Tampa Bay has had plenty of injuries. No surgery makes sense here if it is truly is a high grade AC injury with shoulder sublux/dislocation, etc (thank you Jeff Mueller). Simply, if he is still in a sling next week, that is a big red flag. Until he is on the practice field, no one truly knows how he is progressing.
Irving was only averaging 3.3 yards per carry before exiting the lineup but was not 100% either. The goal is for Irving to be completely healthy as the offensive line heals too. The 2024 Irving is truly needed for Weeks 10-12 (NWE, @BUF, @ LAR) from a team and fantasy football standpoint. Missing a gamebreaker like him combined with so many maladies has made the offense an adventure.
