Bucs RB Sean Tucker got his first touches of the season in Sunday’s loss to the Packers, all within a single, second-quarter possession that ended with him punching in a 2-yard TD. Tucker’s 8-yard run to set that up and then TD helped convince OC Zac Robinson that he needed to find more playing time for Tucker.
What They Say
Robinson: “We’ve got to step up Tuck for sure. He did a great job on that short-yardage run, carrying the pile to get 8. Yeah, you’ve got to step up Tuck as much as we can. Be good with all the backs we’ve got, and then just deploy them at the right time, giving them the right opportunities. And again, the flow of the game gets in the way sometimes … and Kenny [Gainwell]for that matter — involved.”
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
Through week four, Irving leads in carries while holding a slight lead over Gainwell in receiving usage:
| Irving | 56 | 57.7% | 44.9% | 15 | 11.9% |
| Gainwell | 13 | 13.4% | 32.9% | 12 | 9.5% |
| Tucker | 3 | 5.8% | — | — | — |
Irving ranks 16th among all RBs in carry share and 14th in target share, backing the No. 19 ranks in projected PPR points per game but No. Only 23 in actual points per game.
I can blame the lackluster situation — struggling offense, 0-4 team — more than Irving. But he also can’t do more than block.
Irving is 22nd in yards after making contact on every 51 RB attempt with 20+ carries. His 2.88 average marks a 0.52 jump from last year’s rate but is 1.05 below Irving’s rookie-year average.
He’s also at a middling minus-0.05 rush yards expected per attempt and is working at the lowest Pro Football Focus elusive rating of his young career. Irving ranks 28th out of 51 RBs in that category.
Of course, Robinson said nothing in that clip to indicate he wasn’t happy with Irving’s performance. At the same time, it might help the lead back’s efficiency to lighten his workload a bit — especially rushing.
What Should We Do With Bucs RBs?
We’ll have to watch and see if Robinson actually makes significant changes to the divisions of labor before projecting such changes.
Any job loss for Irving, adding to the aforementioned conditions, would ruin his fantasy.
Hold him for now as we’ve seen positive workloads and haven’t had a TD since the opener to boost his perceived value. But watch for sales opportunities if Irving posts a strong fantasy line in a given week.
Gainwell and Tucker remain nothing more than bench stashes, with Tucker not worth the pickup in most fantasy leagues.