How Early Should We Pick Bucky Irving in 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' ground attack was a bit lost heading into 2024, as the 26-year-old Rachaad White netted a meh 3.6 yards per carry across his first two seasons.

So, when the Bucs selected Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, there was a feeling that the rookie could eventually usurp White on the depth chart.

Irving did that and then some.

Though he had to wait until Week 10 to consistently see double-digit carries, he amassed a ferocious 5.4 yards per carry across his 207 rush attempts in his rookie year, firmly placing him atop the depth chart for the upcoming 2025 season.

But with a breakout campaign comes plenty of fantasy football hype. What is Irving's fantasy football outlook for this season? How early is too early to draft the sophomore back? Let's take a look.

Bucky Irving's 2024 Season

Irving was the 53rd running back and 172nd overall pick in 2024 fantasy football drafts, per FantasyPros' average draft position (ADP) data.

Meanwhile, his counterpart White held an ADP of 35 (RB13) in half-PPR leagues.

Irving saw nine carries in his NFL debut and earned more than 10 carries just once leading up to Week 10. He gained 73 yards and a score via 13 attempts in a Week 10 game against the San Francisco 49ers, and it was pretty much off to the races from there.

If we take out a Week 14 game where Irving was banged up, the rookie averaged a gaudy 100.0 rushing yards on 17.1 carries along with five scores across his final seven games of the season. Irving was the league's RB7 from Week 10 and on despite dealing with an injury and a bye week in that span.

In total, Irving posted 1,514 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in 2024 -- good for an RB14 finish.

Not only did the rookie significantly outdo his ADP, but he did so while dealing with medium usage for the first half of the season.

Heading into 2025, it's easy to get excited about Bucky in a starting role -- and we should be excited. That said, there are a few things at play that could cause us to taper our expectations.

So, how early should we draft Irving in 2025 fantasy football drafts?

Bucky Irving's 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Irving is currently the 9th running back and 20th overall player to be selected in half-PPR leagues, per FantasyPros' small early season ADP sample.

Does Bucky deserve to be a second-round pick?

As mentioned, he netted a massive 5.4 yards per carry in 2024, which was the fourth-best mark among eligible backs (minimum 200 attempts) to only Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Talk about elite company.

We should prepare for a decrease in efficiency this go around, even if only thanks to increased volume. Notably, Irving forced the sixth-most missed tackles with his small frame, so we should feel great about him as a pure player.

However, that doesn't mean Rachaad White is going anywhere. White commanded just nine carries across the final three games of the regular season and was afforded just one attempt to Bucky's 17 in the Wild Card round. But White did see an increase in efficiency in 2024 (4.3 YPC) and offers a different build than Irving. Irving's very build will likely dissuade the Bucs from forcing him into too monstrous of a role, at least for the former half of 2025.

It's fair to ooh and aah at Irving's numbers from Week 10 and on, but we probably can't extrapolate that into a full-season projection for 2025. Tampa Bay also has a new OC in town (Josh Grizzard) after losing Liam Coen to the Jacksonville Jaguars, marking the team's third OC change in as many years. With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin aging -- and the latter coming off a serious injury -- there's at least a chance the Bucs' offense takes a step back in 2025, though FanDuel Sportsbook has their win total at 9.5 with +110 odds on the over.

The 22-year-old Irving showed elite marks across the board in his rookie campaign and flashed true top-five potential at his position in the latter half of the season. Suffice to say we should be high on him this year, and he's free from some of the red flags of his positional counterparts. Barkley (482 touches including the postseason) and Henry (386 touches) are coming off taxing seasons, Christian McCaffrey is a high injury risk, and Jonathan Taylor and Ashton Jeanty could end up being hindered by their offenses, at least in comparison to Irving.

Irving's current ADP has him as a late second-round pick, which all things considered seems like an efficient rating. Factor in his lack of red flags -- be it injury or team-related -- and sheer talent, and Irving is someone you can consider biting on a bit before his ADP.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.