Bucky Irving has looked like one of the more consistent pieces of an otherwise inconsistent Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense through the first two weeks. He has run angry, fought through contact, and continued to make the most of his opportunities, but there is suddenly a little more uncertainty surrounding his fantasy outlook entering Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said this week that Irving is on "a bit of a pitch count" with the length of the season in mind. Robinson also indicated that Tampa Bay is willing to ride the hot hand in the backfield, which could create more opportunities for Kenneth Gainwell as the season progresses.
That doesn't mean fantasy managers should immediately pull Irving out of their
lineups. Through two games, he has 25 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown while adding 11 receptions for 49 yards. His workload actually increased against Cleveland, when he carried the ball 17 times for 89 yards and caught four passes.
The bigger question is what the pitch count will actually look like. Tampa Bay hasn't shown much of one yet, as Irving played 51 offensive snaps against Cleveland compared to 23 for Gainwell. Irving also finished with 21 touches to Gainwell's five, so there hasn't been anything resembling an even split through the first two games.
For now, Irving remains a start for me, but I would be more comfortable viewing him as an RB3 or flex against Minnesota rather than automatically treating him as a weekly RB1 or RB2. FantasyPros' Week 3 consensus rankings are more optimistic, placing Irving at RB18, but the uncertainty surrounding his workload combined with Tampa Bay's offensive inconsistency makes me a little more cautious.
The Week 3 matchup doesn't make the start/sit decision any easier. Minnesota's defense under Brian Flores has been difficult to run against early this season, and the Vikings have been particularly effective at preventing consistent success on the ground. Irving has shown the ability to create explosive runs, but this isn't necessarily a matchup where fantasy managers should expect Tampa Bay to simply line up and run the ball all afternoon.
Gainwell's workload has been small so far, totaling seven carries and four receptions through two games, but I'm not ready to completely give up on his fantasy value. Tampa Bay has continued to refer to Gainwell as the "1B" to Irving's "1A," and Robinson's comments suggest there could be games where that distinction becomes more noticeable.
I wouldn't put Gainwell into a normal starting lineup yet, but he can be a desperation flex option in deeper leagues. His ability as a receiver gives him another path to touches, and if Tampa Bay really does begin limiting Irving's workload, Gainwell would be the most obvious beneficiary. FantasyPros currently has him outside the top 40 running backs for Week 3, which reflects how risky that play remains.
Sean Tucker is also back in the mix after returning from a hamstring injury in Week 2, but there isn't enough offensive usage to consider him for fantasy lineups right now. He's third on Tampa Bay's depth chart behind Irving and Gainwell, making him more of a player to monitor than someone fantasy managers should be starting.
Until Tampa Bay actually shows us what Irving's "pitch count" means, I'm still starting him. Just temper the expectations against Minnesota and consider him more of an RB3/flex this week. Gainwell remains a risky desperation flex with some upside if his role grows, while Tucker should stay on the bench until the Bucs give us a reason to think otherwise.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Should you start Bucs RBs this week in fantasy football?
