Every year in fantasy football two types of players emerge, rookies that earn meaningful roles and produce and waiver wire pickups. In the case of Bucs running back Bucky Irving, he checks both of those boxes to the joy of fans and fantasy players alike.
The performance of Bucky Irving in 2024 was good enough that PFF recognized it in their 2024 Awards piece.
In Pro Football Focus’ 2024 fantasy football awards, they awarded Bucky Irving as their Waiver Wire Pickup of the Year. They discuss how Irving had some limitations to grow out of to start the year, but once he did, he made the most of his time.
Jonathon Macris writes, “It wasn’t until Week 6 that Irving was given more than 12 touches in a game and went on to average 16.5 touches per game from that point on and finished as a top-10 PPR running back over that span. While Irving still had to share the workload a bit in the Buccaneers backfield, he did so very efficiently, averaging 5.5 yards per carry (tied for third) with an 85.5 rushing grade (11th) and was the only running back with over 1,000 rushing yards on fewer than 200 carries.”
Irving is now set to be one of the best running backs in the 2024 playoffs and in the NFL next season. He is going to bring balance to the pass-happy offense the Bucs have had in the past, and his size allows him to handle the workload.
There is a lot to like about Bucky Irving, whether you are a Bucs fan or a fantasy player.