Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving (foot/shoulder) will get a chance to establish the “hot hand” in Week 13 against the Cardinals.

28 November 2025

Speaking with reporters on Friday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that once Irving “gets in, we’ll see how he is rolling, and then between him, Rachaad [White] and Sean [Tucker], we’ll kind of go with the hot hand.” Bowles’ phrasing suggests Irving will be given the first chance to establish the hot hand. The team had already made clear that Irving would be eased into action, so the hot hand approach makes sense. It is never what we want to hear for fantasy purposes, though. Irving is the most talented player of the bunch. If he can get going early, he has a chance to return RB2 value or better, but his floor is lower than it typically would be.