The Buccaneers didn't lean heavily on the running game in their Week 1 loss to Cincinnati, but Bucky Irving still found a way to put together a productive fantasy performance. Now Tampa Bay returns home against Cleveland, with Kenny Gainwell and Sean Tucker also factoring into the fantasy conversation.
FantasyPros has Irving ranked as the RB18 for Week 2, while Gainwell comes in at RB37. Here's how I would handle all three Bucs running backs this week.
Bucky Irving: Start
Irving didn't receive a massive workload against Cincinnati, but he made the most of it. He carried the ball eight times for 45 yards and a touchdown while catching seven passes for another 48 yards, giving him 93 total yards on 15 touches.
The seven receptions are what really stand out for fantasy
purposes in PPR leagues. Irving doesn't necessarily need 20 carries to produce if Baker Mayfield continues looking his way in the passing game, especially in PPR formats.
FantasyPros projects Irving for 13.0 points and has him at RB18 this week. I'm comfortable starting him as an RB2 against Cleveland, and his involvement in both parts of the offense gives him a solid floor even if the Bucs continue splitting some of the backfield work. Also, if the game goes in the Bucs ' favor early and they get up by a few scores, Irving could see more carries as the game progresses.
Kenny Gainwell: Start at flex
Gainwell's Week 1 numbers weren't impressive at all. He finished with five carries for 15 yards and caught his only target for three yards, giving him just 18 yards from scrimmage. I'm still not ready to move away from him after one game.
FantasyPros has Gainwell at RB37 with an 8.7-point projection against Cleveland. That's firmly in the range where fantasy managers have to start making lineup decisions, and I'm willing to give him another shot as a flex option this week.
It's simply too early to completely give up on the role after one game. Week 2 should give us a much better idea of how Tampa Bay plans to divide this backfield. If Gainwell's opportunities don't increase and Irving once again handles most of the work on the ground and through the air, then Week 3 becomes a different conversation. For now, Gainwell is still someone I'm willing to use at flex.
Sean Tucker: Sit
Tucker is the one Bucs running back I'm keeping out of fantasy lineups this week. He missed the opener, so we haven't seen what his role will look like alongside Irving and Gainwell in a regular-season game yet.
That's enough uncertainty for me to keep him on the bench. There could eventually be a role for Tucker in this backfield, which would more than likely be goal-line carries and in short-yardage situations, but I'm not putting him into a Week 2 fantasy lineup before seeing how Tampa Bay actually uses him.
For this week, Irving is an easy start as an RB2, while I'm giving Gainwell another opportunity at flex. Tucker stays on the bench until we get a clearer picture of how the Bucs plan to divide the work.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Should you start Bucs RB's this week in fantasy football?
