Bucky Irving Is Still Tampa Bay's RB1 — But Kenny Gainwell Is More Than a Handcuff

The Buccaneers' backfield looks simple if you only read the depth chart.

Bucky Irving is RB1. Kenny Gainwell is RB2. Sean Tucker is RB3.

For fantasy football, though, I don't think this is a traditional starter-and-handcuff situation.

Irving is still the Tampa Bay running back I want first. He is healthy again, has already shown an elite fantasy ceiling, and new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has a history of letting his lead running back dominate touches.

But Gainwell is not just waiting around for an Irving injury.

Tampa Bay has spent training camp finding ways to put both backs on the field, Gainwell is coming off a 73-catch season, and the Buccaneers have described Irving and Gainwell as their clear top two backs.

At their current prices, I like both — just for very different reasons.

Bucky Irving Is Healthy Again

The biggest reason I am comfortable going back to Irving is simple: the version we saw last season was not healthy.

Irving dealt with both foot and shoulder injuries in 2025, ultimately missing seven games. The shoulder injury eventually required offseason surgery.

That context matters when looking at the efficiency drop.

As a rookie in 2024, Irving exploded for:

• 207 carries
• 1,122 rushing yards
• 8 rushing touchdowns
• 47 receptions
• 392 receiving yards

He averaged 5.4 yards per carry and topped 1,500 yards from scrimmage.

Then came the injury-filled 2025 season.

Irving still handled 173 carries in only 10 games, but his rushing average dropped all the way to 3.4 yards per carry. He finished with 588 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 30 catches, 277 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.

The raw seasonal finish looks disappointing because he missed seven games.

The per-game fantasy production tells a different story.

Irving still averaged 13.9 full-PPR points per game, finishing around RB18 in points per game.

That is why I am much less worried about the ugly season-long totals than I would be if Irving had played 17 healthy games and simply stopped producing.

The Buccaneers said at the start of camp that Irving was fully cleared and taking unrestricted first-team work after his shoulder surgery.

That is the version I want to draft.

Kenny Gainwell Changes the Ceiling, Not the RB1

The mistake would be taking Rachaad White leaving Tampa Bay and assuming every vacated touch automatically belongs to Irving.

The Buccaneers did not operate that way.

They signed Kenny Gainwell, and this is not the Philadelphia version of Gainwell who was mostly functioning as a complementary piece.

He is coming off easily the best season of his NFL career.

With Pittsburgh in 2025, Gainwell produced:

• 114 carries
• 537 rushing yards
• 5 rushing touchdowns
• 73 receptions
• 486 receiving yards
• 3 receiving touchdowns

In full PPR, that translated to roughly 13.0 fantasy points per game.

For comparison, Irving averaged 13.9.

Their situations were obviously different, and I am not projecting Gainwell to repeat 73 catches behind Irving.

But that production matters because it tells us Tampa Bay did not sign a player whose fantasy value exists only if Irving gets hurt.

Gainwell can play on third down. He can pass protect. He can run actual routes rather than simply leak into the flat. He can function as an early-down runner.

That creates ways for him to score fantasy points while Irving is healthy.

Tampa Bay Is Already Showing Us the Plan

The most interesting development from Buccaneers camp has been the use of what the team calls its “pony” package — formations with Irving and Gainwell on the field together.

That isn't entirely new for Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers used multiple running backs on the field for 52 offensive plays last season.

But Zac Robinson brings even more history with two-back personnel.

His 2025 Falcons offense used 21 personnel on 101 plays, nearly double Tampa Bay's total.

The important part is what having Irving and Gainwell together allows Robinson to do.

Both can line up in the backfield. Both can move into the slot. Both can motion. Both can catch the football.

The defense cannot automatically determine the play based on which running back enters the game.

That is excellent for the Buccaneers.

For fantasy, it means Gainwell doesn't necessarily have to remove Irving from the field to have a role.

That is a major difference between Gainwell and a normal handcuff.

Zac Robinson's History Is Actually Good News for Bucky

There is another side to Robinson's backfield history that keeps me confident in Irving.

Robinson spent the past two seasons as Atlanta's offensive coordinator.

His lead running back was Bijan Robinson, while Tyler Allgeier remained a legitimate second option.

Allgeier wasn't ignored. In 2024, he had 137 carries. In 2025, he had 143.

But Zac Robinson did not use Allgeier as an excuse to cap Bijan's workload.

Bijan played about 75% of Atlanta's offensive snaps in 2024 and nearly 78.5% in 2025.

His touch totals were enormous:

2024

• 304 carries
• 61 receptions
• 365 touches

2025

• 287 carries
• 79 receptions
• 366 touches

That is the part of Robinson's history I care about most.

He has already shown that his offense can support a useful secondary running back without turning the lead back into a committee player.

Bucky Irving is not Bijan Robinson, and I am not projecting 365 touches.

But the coaching history makes me much less worried that Gainwell's presence automatically means Irving gets stuck around 50% of the work.

There is room for both.

Gainwell's Role Is More Valuable in Full PPR

This backfield becomes much more interesting when we specifically look at full-PPR scoring.

If Gainwell were simply projected for eight carries and one target per week, I wouldn't care much.

That is not his skill set.

He caught 73 passes on 85 targets last season.

Tampa Bay has specifically emphasized his receiving ability, route-running and pass protection since signing him.

Even a major reduction from last year's receiving volume could leave Gainwell with meaningful fantasy production.

Imagine something closer to:

• 6-9 carries
• 3-4 targets
• occasional two-minute work
• occasional two-back usage
• some red-zone touches

That isn't enough volume to make him a weekly RB2 automatically.

It is enough to make him considerably more useful than a traditional backup.

And if Irving misses time, Gainwell's ceiling jumps dramatically.

That combination — standalone receiving value plus contingent upside — is exactly what I want from an RB4.

Where Does Sean Tucker Fit?

Sean Tucker is the reason I also wouldn't label Gainwell a perfect handcuff.

The current Tampa Bay depth chart has Irving first, Gainwell second and Tucker third.

Tucker has already shown that he can run the football at the NFL level. He carried 86 times for 320 yards last season after getting additional opportunities while Irving was injured.

If Irving were unavailable, I would not automatically project Gainwell for 20 carries.

A more realistic possibility would be Gainwell getting the valuable receiving and all-purpose work while Tucker absorbs some of the early-down rushing volume.

That matters.

Gainwell is the No. 2 fantasy back I want from Tampa Bay, but I don't think this is a pure handcuff where one injury guarantees him the entire backfield.

That distinction makes him more appealing for standalone value but slightly less appealing if your only goal is finding someone who would inherit 90% of Irving's workload.

The ADP Makes This Easy for Me

Current full-PPR ADP has Irving around RB20 — roughly pick 44 overall. Gainwell is going around RB35 — roughly pick 99 overall.

I don't think either price is bad.

Irving around the fourth-round range makes sense.

You are getting a 23-year-old running back who already posted 1,514 scrimmage yards as a rookie, still averaged nearly 14 PPR points per game through an injury-ruined second season and is now entering Week 1 healthy.

The risk is that Gainwell takes enough receiving work to prevent Irving from reaching the true three-down workload that produces an elite RB1 season.

But RB20 does not require Irving to become Bijan Robinson.

Gainwell's price might be even more interesting.

Around pick 100, I am getting a running back who scored 13 PPR points per game last season, caught 73 passes, is currently listed second on the depth chart and has already been incorporated into packages alongside the starter.

That's not a normal RB35 profile.

My Fantasy Read

I'm buying both Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell at their current prices.

Irving remains the clear priority.

I think his 2025 rushing efficiency is much easier to explain once you account for the foot and shoulder injuries, and Zac Robinson's history with Bijan Robinson shows he is perfectly willing to feed his best running back even when he has another capable back on the roster.

At RB20, I am comfortable drafting Irving.

But I might like Gainwell relative to cost even more.

He is not just Bucky Irving insurance.

The receiving ability, third-down skill set and Tampa Bay's two-back packages give him a path to scoring usable PPR points without an injury ahead of him.

At roughly pick 100, I'm buying Gainwell as an RB4 with standalone value and significant contingent upside.

Sean Tucker is still relevant enough that I wouldn't call Gainwell a perfect handcuff.

My preferred way to attack this backfield is simple:

Draft Bucky as an RB2. Draft Gainwell as an upside RB4. Don't treat either player like this is a one-back offense.