Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker has been one of the most valuable players in fantasy football. Widely overlooked during the draft cycle, the former undrafted free agent overtook Rachaad White as the team’s primary back while Irving returns from foot and shoulder injuries. Tucker is coming off the best game of his career, recording 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries while adding two receptions for 34 yards and another score.
Despite never officially starting a game, Sean Tucker has been the Buccaneers’ running back to own in fantasy football. However, that could be coming to an end soon. According to head coach Todd Bowles, Bucky Irving will see more work in practice this week and could make his long-awaited return to the lineup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Sean Tucker Fantasy Football Outlook When Bucky Irving Returns
The Short Term
Let’s start with a disclaimer: we don’t know if Bucky Irving will return to the field in Week 12. If he doesn’t, you can fire up Sean Tucker without thinking twice. However, for the sake of this argument, let’s assume Irving is healthy and ready to go Sunday Night Football. Even if the second-year pro is active, you can still start Tucker and feel good about it.
Players returning from extended absences usually need time to regain their strength and re-adjust to NFL speed. While some of those injured players see a full workload due to a lack of talent on the depth chart, Sean Tucker has proven beyond any reasonable doubt that he’s capable of handling a larger workload. For at least a week or two, Tucker and Irving will probably have a 1A-1B relationship while Rachaad White falls down the depth chart.
The Long Term
Sean Tucker has played remarkably well when given the opportunity, but Bucky Irving should remain the featured back once he returns to full speed. For better or worse, it appears as though Todd Bowles simply does not think the 5′-10″, 205-pound Tucker can handle a full workload.
While he recorded 21 total touches last week, Week 11 was the first time Sean Tucker saw more than 34% of the offensive snaps. Rachaad White wasn’t nearly as productive as Tucker, but he saw more snaps than the former undrafted free agent last week.
When everyone is healthy, Bucky Irving is the only running back on the roster who has proved to be effective with a high snap count. This means the former fourth-round pick will be the starter, but Tucker has done enough to be the first man off the bench. Irving should return to his unquestioned RB1 role by the time the fantasy football playoffs start, but Tucker should see enough work to put up decent flex production on a high-powered offense.
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