Bucky Irving is Destined for Fantasy Greatness in 2025

I am planting my flag on Bucky Irving this season. The second year back is currently being drafted as the RB10 and 21st overall, according to our multi-site ADP tool. Here’s a look at why I think Irving has a real chance to massively outperform his draft spot and potentially finish as the overall RB1 in fantasy this year.

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Irving’s Fantastic Rookie Season

After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Oregon, Irving had a phenomenal start to his career. He totaled 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 207 carries, and added 392 receiving yards on 47 catches through the air. Irving finished as the overall RB14 in fantasy and was a legitimate league winner down the stretch. From Week 10 on, Irving was the RB7 in fantasy, averaging 16.8 points per game, which includes a game where he left in the first quarter with an injury. It was no surprise that Irving was the 4th most common player on ESPN fantasy football championship rosters last year, behind only Jahmyr Gibbs, Ja'Marr Chase, and Lamar Jackson.

The most impressive part of Irving’s rookie production was that it came on fairly little playing time. Irving played just 45% of the Buccaneers’ offense snaps last year, sharing time equally with Rachaad White. In turn, this made Irving one of the most efficient runners in football. He ranked first in yards after contact per attempt, third in EPA per rush, fourth in missed tackles forced per attempt, and eighth in breakaway run percentage. The only other players to finish top 10 in all four of those metrics were Jahmyr Gibbs and Derrick Henry. For good measure, Irving also finished sixth among running backs in yards per route run. All in all, Irving’s statistical excellence in his rookie year makes it almost inevitable that he explodes into the top tier of running backs in 2025.

Irving in the Bucs Offense

The Bucs are bringing back all 11 of their offensive starters after finishing as a top-5 offense in EPA per play and success rate last season. On top of that, the Bucs drafted Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round of the NFL Draft, further increasing their overall offensive ceiling. While they may not be as prolific as last season with offensive coordinator Liam Coen no longer in town, the Bucs have shown enough with Baker Mayfield under center the last two seasons to trust them as one of the better scoring offenses in the league. This means that Irving should be a candidate to score double-digit touchdowns in his sophomore year.

The main question with Irving will come down to how he splits time with White this season. White provides value to the Bucs as a solid receiving back and pass protector, but ultimately, I am confident that Irving’s far superior efficiency and production will get him on the field more. I am encouraged by Irving’s usage down the stretch last year, as he was on a 264 carry season-long pace after the aforementioned Week 10 breakout. Notably, Irving was also the preferred goal-line back over White last season, with 17 more carries in the red zone. Irving is a smaller player (5'10”, 195 lbs), so limiting his workload a bit would help his injury prevention and durability, but there is a middle ground between underusing him and overworking him that the Bucs can certainly find.

Assessing Irving’s Floor and Ceiling

It feels like there is nowhere to go but up for Irving. Considering he finished as the RB14 last season despite playing less than 40% of snaps in six of 17 games, I would give Irving one of the higher floors among running backs. His pass-catching ability is particularly valuable, and he could approach 60 receptions this season if White’s usage starts to taper down, which would almost guarantee a top-10 finish at the position.

If Irving is given the keys to the Bucs offense and sees an uptick to around 250-275 carries, I genuinely believe he could finish as the overall RB1. Jahmyr Gibbs’ name has come up a couple of times already in this article, and his 2024 season is a nice template of Irving’s upside. Gibbs totaled 1,412 rushing yards on 250 carries and 517 receiving yards on 52 catches, with 20 touchdowns playing for a high-octane Lions offense. He finished as the RB2 in fantasy in spite of playing just 55% of snaps. Even if Irving’s touchdown numbers aren’t nearly as gaudy as Gibbs, he has the rushing talent, receiving floor, and overall offensive potential to put up a 300 fantasy point season.

I am aggressively targeting Irving at his current ADP of RB10. I would readily take Irving over veterans going ahead of him like Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, and Josh Jacobs, as I think his pass-catching floor gives him a leg up over that group. All three of those players essentially need to score 10+ touchdowns to return on their draft capital, and that could be problematic for Taylor, especially in a questionable Colts offense. I would be more than comfortable with Irving as my RB1 after taking an elite receiver in the first round.

The Bottom Line

• Irving is coming off a phenomenal rookie season where he finished top-10 in several key running back metrics, indicating massive upside with more volume.
• Irving will be part of an explosive Bucs offense once again this year. While Rachaad White will likely remain involved, Irving’s second-half usage last season points to an increased workload.
• Irving has an elite combination of floor and ceiling. His pass-catching ability makes him more appealing than one-dimensional veterans going near him in drafts, and he has top-5 upside if he gets 250+ carries. A 2024 Jahmyr Gibbs level season is not out of the question for Irving, and he is one of my top targets in fantasy football this season.