RB · TB · 23 yrs · exp 2 · Oregon
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Latest: Jul 24, 2026 · 4,627
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This article ranks the top 10 running back duos in the NFL for the 2026 season, considering individual stardom, balanced backfields, and recent production against projections. It also includes honorable mentions and discusses specific player pairings and their potential impact
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles’s May comment that running back Bucky Irving will be ready to go at some point in the summer or fall created some questions about his availability for training camp, but things have moved in the right direction since that point. Irving, who had shoulder surgery after the 2025 season, was able to get on the field for a little work before the team wrapped up their offseason program and things have continued to progress with camp set to start next week. While speaking to Mark Skol of Fox 13 from his youth football camp, Irving said that he feels healthy and believes that he will be ready to go when the team has its first training camp practice. That should allow him to avoid the physically unable to perform list and put him on track to be in the backfield for Week 1 against the Bengals. Irving was limited to 10 games last season and finished the year with 173 carries for 588 yards and a touchdown. That was a sharp drop from his rookie year production and the Bucs could use a return to that kind of effectiveness on the ground as they try to work their way back into the playoffs
Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving, who underwent shoulder surgery after the 2025 season, stated he feels healthy and expects to be ready for the start of training camp. This puts him on track to avoid the PUP list and be available for Week 1
by Ari Koslow | Buccaneers Correspondent | Tue, Jul 21st 2:04pm EDT Bucky Irving said he expects to be "good to go" for training camp. ( Mark Skol Jr. on Twitter ) Fantasy Impact: Irving made the statement at his annual youth football camp. He has been limited to start the offseason program working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery after he played through a shoulder injury last season. The Bucs backfield will be a situation to monitor in training camp following their free agency addition of Kenneth Gainwell. #Bucs running back Bucky Irving hosted his annual youth football camp over at Blake High School this morning. He tells me he will be good to go for training camp! You’ll hear from him later today on FOX 13. pic.twitter.com/cmtdkc5I4U Category: Injury Updates | More Bucky Irving : News , Rankings , Projections , Stats
During his annual youth football camp, Irving (shoulder) told Mark Skol, Jr. of FOX13News on Sunday that he will be good to go for training camp. Irving is bouncing back from offseason shoulder surgery, but it looks like the running back will be ready to go once training camp begins, with the Buccaneers potentially easing him back into the mix. Once Irving is deemed full-go, he'll have a chance to reestablish his standing as the top option in a Tampa Bay backfield that also includes Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker has rarely seen anything close to a featured role through his first three seasons in the league, but when entrusted with an expanded workload, he has tended to deliver. With Buccaneers starter Bucky Irving missing seven games in 2025 with foot and shoulder injuries, Tucker split time with Rachaad White, carving out a larger role along the way. From Weeks 8 through 12, he led the team with 52 carries for 243 yards and three touchdowns, but with Irving's eventual return in Week 13, Tucker averaged fewer than four carries per game the rest of the way. Heading into 2026, a healthier Irving is expected to head the Buccaneers' backfield once more, while free agent acquisition Kenneth Gainwell was brought in as a direct replacement for White after leading the Steelers with 73 catches in 2025. Again relegated to third-string duties, Tucker maintains some value as a dynasty stash, having proven capable of delivering fantasy-relevant performances in a pinch, but as RotoBaller's RB51, he is unlikely to factor into 2026 drafts
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When given an opportunity to see the field, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker has flashed upside. The 24-year-old recorded 354 scrimmage yards on 94 touches and led Tampa Bay running backs with eight touchdowns in 2025. However, Tucker enters 2026 as the Buccaneers RB3 behind Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell. As long as at least one of Irving and/or Gainwell is healthy, Tucker is likely blocked off from consistently fantasy-relevant production in Tampa Bay. Still, he will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2026 season, so the Bucs may be incentivized to move him to a team in need of backfield help at some point this year. Between that possibility and Tucker's existing handcuff appeal, he could be worth stashing for deeper-league dynasty managers who are building for the future
General Manager Jason Licht stated that running back Bucky Irving is nearing full health from a shoulder injury and would be ready to play if the Buccaneers had a game in the coming weeks. Licht clarified that the team considers training camp to be "fall" and that Irving is progressing well. Irving missed significant time last season, during which the Bucs' rushing attack suffered
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said last month that the team expects running back Bucky Irving to return to action “sometime in the summer or fall ” and things appear to be moving a little more quickly. Multiple reporters at Thursday’s OTA practice session shared videos of Irving in uniform working in drills with the rest of the team. It is the first time that has happened at a practice open to the media since Irving had shoulder surgery early in the offseason. Irving missed seven games last season and ended the year with 173 carries for 588 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 30 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns. The Bucs will wrap up their offseason program with next week’s minicamp
Irving (shoulder) was on the field for Thursday's OTA. A clip posted by the Buccaneers showed the running back getting in some on-field work Thursday, which included catching passes. It remains to be seen when Irving will be cleared for full contact as he bounces back from offseason shoulder surgery, but his participation in Thursday's session, in any capacity, supports a previous report by ESPN's Adam Schefter that the 2024 fourth-rounder was likely to be ready at some point during training camp. Next up for Irving and his teammates following their current OTAs will be mandatory minicamp from June 16-18
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (shoulder) was seen working out at organized team activities on Thursday. Irving is being worked back in slowly this offseason after having shoulder surgery, but he looked good on Thursday while catching passes at OTAs while doing other work as well. Although he might not be a full-go for the start of training camp at the end of next month, all signs point to the 23-year-old back being ready at some point this summer and for the start of the 2026 regular season in early September. The former fourth-rounder in 2024 out of the University of Oregon impressed with a 1,000-yard season and eight touchdowns on 207 carries while adding 47 receptions for 392 yards as a pass-catcher in 17 games as a rookie, but he played in only 10 games in 2025 due to injury and finished with 588 rushing yards and one touchdown for the Bucs. Irving's fantasy stock has fallen a bit going into his third year in the league because of durability concerns as he learns a new offense. Newcomer Kenneth Gainwell is also likely to steal valuable pass-catching reps from him. He still has clear RB2 upside if he can stay healthy, but Irving has fallen to No. 26 in RotoBaller's RB rankings for the 2026 season
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenneth Gainwell is coming off a breakout season in 2025, as he recorded 1,023 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns on 187 touches across 17 games as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tampa Bay rewarded Gainwell for his efforts, signing him to a two-year contract in free agency to form a backfield tandem with Bucky Irving (shoulder). Much of Gainwell's production in Pittsburgh came as a receiver out of the backfield, as he hauled in 73 receptions for 486 yards and three touchdowns on 85 targets. While Gainwell should still be involved in the passing game with the Buccaneers, he'll no longer have the benefit of playing with Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers targeted running backs at an extremely high rate in 2025, allowing Gainwell to rack up PPR fantasy points with consistency. Additionally, a bounce-back season from Irving could lead to a reduced role for Gainwell. Irving battled through injuries and inconsistency in 2025, but he flashed high-end upside as a rookie in 2024, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and collecting over 1,500 yards from scrimmage. In dynasty formats, managers may want to explore selling high on Gainwell after his career year
Irving is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, and while he isn't expected to take part in mandatory minicamp June 16-18, he'll likely be healthy during training camp, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Irving was present for the Buccaneers' first OTA on Tuesday but was merely a spectator, and afterward coach Todd Bowles said that the third-year running back is in line to return in "summer or fall," according to River Wells of Bucs Gameday. Last season, Irving sat out Weeks 5-12 due to a shoulder subluxation and sprained foot, but after getting back in the fold Week 13, he took on a normal workload down the stretch (113 touches for 435 yards from scrimmage and two total TDs over the final six games). Tampa Bay let Rachaad White move on in free agency and replaced him with Kenneth Gainwell, who, along with holdover Sean Tucker, will handle most of the first-team reps during the offseason program and even into training camp until Irving is good to go
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday that Irving (shoulder) is expected back in "summer or fall," River Wells of Bucs Gameday. This is less optimistic than the team's stance just a few weeks ago, when it was reported that Irving could be limited during the offseason program. He watched from the sideline Tuesday at the first on-field session of OTAs, and Bowles' comments afterward suggest Irving won't be ready for practice until training camp -- if then. Irving missed a chunk of last season with a dislocated shoulder, eventually undergoing surgery at an undisclosed date this offseason. While Bowles' comment isn't necessarily cause for panic, it does seem like the Bucs want to be cautious with Irving after his injury-riddled 2025. The team signed Kenneth Gainwell and re-signed Sean Tucker, both of whom figure to see plenty of first-team reps while Irving finishes up his rehab this summer
Irving (shoulder) is present at OTAs but isn't participating in on-field work yet, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. Irving watched Tuesday's practice from the sideline before heading inside with a member of the training staff. He's recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, temporarily leaving Tampa's first-team backfield reps in the capable hands of fellow veterans Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker. Reports from earlier in May suggested Irving was unlikely to do much at the offseason program, with training camp being the real target. For now, he'll focus on finishing up his rehab and mastering schematic changes under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson
Despite an injury-marred 2025 season and the addition of Kenneth Gainwell, Bucky Irving is expected to be ready for training camp and open as the Buccaneers' RB1, though his injury history and Gainwell's presence add risk to his fantasy upside
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.
