Why Bucky Irving Is A Fantasy Football RB1 In 2025 Fantasy Football Leagues

Bucky Irving emerges as Tampa Bay’s lead running back with top-10 fantasy potential in 2025 after a rookie season with 1,514 combined yards and eight touchdowns.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) celebrates after a 54-yard run in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Irving came to the Bucs with below-par running back speed (4.55 40-yard dash) while being undersized (5’9” and 190 lbs.). Pass protection in the NFL will be a problem, and he must improve his eyes and patience at the next level due to smaller running lanes inside. Irving will break tackles and has some moves to make defenders miss in space. The challenge for him in this offense will be finding his change-of-pace balance.

The Bucs went fishing for running back depth (Irving) in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. After his freshman season at Minnesota (133/699/4 with eight catches for 73 yards), he transferred to Oregon, where his role blossomed over two seasons (2,950 combined yards with 21 touchdowns and 87 catches on 429 touches. The Ducks featured him more as a three-down player in 2023, highlighted by his 56 catches for 413 yards and two scores. Irving ran the ball well in 2022 (156/1,058/5) and 2023 (186/1,180/11).

When reviewing some of Irving’s highlights, he gives me the impression of a player who thrives in trash. What I mean by this is that Irving has an uncanny ability to find something out of a dead in a water play. He runs with eyes up, with the goal of making defenders miss or punch them in the face at the finish line. When at the second level of a defense in space, Irving has a feel for getting tacklers flat-footed, similar to the great Shaun Alexander. His lack of long speed limits his paydays when hitting a wide-open hole.

Tampa gave Irving RB2 snaps in 11 of his 18 games, while seizing the Bucs’ lead running back role over their final four games. He finished with 254 touches, leading to 1,514 combined yards with eight touchdowns and 47 catches. Irving gained more than 20 yards on 11 plays, with four reaching the 40-yard mark.

He gained over 100 rushing yards in three contests (25/152/1, 15/117, and 20/113), all coming over the final six weeks. He left Week 14 after 16 plays with a back injury. From Week 12 to Week 19 (minus his early exit), the Buccaneers gave him 21 touches a game, leading to 141.90 fantasy points (20.27 FPPG). 

Bucky Irving 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook, Projections, Ranking

Irving was the 12th-best running back in fantasy points (246.30) in his rookie season. He had 14 carries inside the five-yard line, compared to eight by Rachaad White and three by Sean Tucker.

This draft season, progression in touches is expected based on his running back ranking (8th). The Bucs will continue to rotate in a second back, but Irving is their clear top option on opening day. Possible 275 touches with 1,500 combined yards, 12 scores, and 50 catches. I expect some pullback in his big plays, and Tampa won’t run him into the ground due to his size.

Irving is currently the RB10 in our 2025 PPR Rankings and the RB12 in Non-PPR formats.