The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are headed for the Big Easy in Week 6, but Rachaad White ($5,700) may not be available, according to coach Todd Bowles. White was limited in practice Wednesday and did not practice Thursday.
White began the season as the clear top running back for Tampa Bay, but Bucky Irving ($5,400) has been eating into his workload. In the last two weeks, Irving has played over 40% of snaps while White’s snap share was down from 70+% early in the year to 64% against the Falcons in Week 5. If White is unable to play this week, Irving could be in for a huge workload and would definitely be a top fantasy option.
In his limited work, Irving has been very impressive. He ran for 70 yards on nine carries against the Broncos in Week 3 for 11.4 fantasy points. He followed that up in Week 4 with his best fantasy game of the season, scoring a touchdown and finishing with 12.5 fantasy points.
Last week, Irving had just one fewer carry than White but had a costly fumble as the Bucs tried to put the Falcons away. If he got all the workload, though, Irving would become a great option since he is averaging a robust 5.6 yards-per-carry and has been involved as a receiver as well with six catches on eight targets over the last three games.
The Saints have allowed three running back touchdowns this season, all in the last three weeks. They gave up 100+ yards and a touchdown last Monday against Kareem Hunt.
Depending on the game script, the Bucs can sometimes “pound the rock” but at other times they can abandon the run game altogether. If he’s the starter, though, Irving should get enough volume to be a solid RB2 with the potential to be a top-10 option if the Bucs set him up to get into the end zone.
With the Saints going with Spencer Rattler ($4,000) at QB, the Bucs are 3.5-point road favorites, which indicates it could be a good game script for Irving if the Bucs play from ahead. He’s +120 to score a touchdown, the second-shortest odds of any player in this contest.
Irving has looked primed for a breakthrough with a high ceiling, and if White is out this week, the stage would be set for a potential monster game. Irving should be owned in all formats and is a strong RB2 if White is out. If White plays, Irving would still be a fringe flex play.
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