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. Apparently Tucker's 8-yard run to set that up and then the TD helped convince OC Zac Robinson that he needs to find more playing time for Tucker.
What They're Saying
Robinson: "We gotta get Tuck going some more for sure. He did a great job on that short-yardage run, carrying the pile for a gain of 8. Yeah, gotta get Tuck going as much as we can. Feel great about all those backs that we got, and then just deploying them at the proper times, giving them the right opportunities. And again, the flow of the game sometimes ... can disrupt that flow a little bit. But definitely gotta do a better job of getting Tuck -- and Kenny [Gainwell], for that matter -- involved."
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
Through four weeks, Irving has dominated carries while holding a slight lead over Gainwell in receiving usage:
| Player | Carries | Car% | Route% | Targets | Tgt% |
| 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, supporting a No. 19 ranking in expected PPR points per game but just No. 23 in actual points per game.
I'd blame the lackluster situation -- struggling offense, 0-4 team -- more than Irving. But he also hasn't been creating much beyond the blocking.
Irving ranks 22nd in yards after contact per attempt among 51 RBs with 20+ carries. His 2.88 average marks a 0.52 jump from last year's rate but sits 1.05 below Irving's rookie-year average.
He's also at a middling minus-0.05 rush yards over expected per attempt and working on the lowest Pro Football Focus elusive rating of his young career. Irving ranks 28th among those 51 RBs in that category.
Of course, Robinson didn't say anything in that clip to indicate he's not happy with Irving's performance. At the same time, it might help the lead back's efficiency to lighten his workload a bit -- especially the rushing.
What Should We Do with Bucs RBs?
We'll have to watch and see if Robinson actually makes meaningful changes to the work splits before projecting such changes.
Any loss of work for Irving, adding to the aforementioned conditions, would chip away at his fantasy floor.
Hold him for now given that we've seen positive workloads and gotten no TDs since the opener to boost his perceived value. But watch for selling opportunities if Irving posts a strong fantasy line in a given week.
Gainwell and Tucker remain no more than bench stashes, with Tucker not even worth the pickup in most fantasy leagues.
