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FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast on Bucky Irving

Podcast7 NFL Running Back Battles That Will Shape 2026 Fantasy Football Drafts (Ep. 21...
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My problem here is that he is the lead back in an offense where when we saw last season, the one thing that if you kind of look at the stats and point out his usage in the red zone, and he was a bell cow running back, right? With when in games that he played, you know, sans the injury. Once he came back, volume was there in terms of touches. But what was missing was the red zone work there. And once you get inside the tin, his usage drops so far below everyone else
Mentioned at 43:05 – 45:02

STACKED’s take

Negative signalRole

Irving RB21 but red zone concerns limit ceiling; Gainwell/Tucker chip away at upside.

The source ranks Bucky Irving as RB 21 in ECR and views this as his backfield to lose, noting Pat Fitzmaurice has talked him up on Dynasty shows and this has seeped into the 2026 ranking. However, the source expresses concern about red zone usage: Irving was a bell cow in terms of touches when healthy, but red zone work was missing, and his usage drops significantly below other bell cow backs once inside the red zone. With Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker chipping away at workload, the source worries Irving could be perpetually in the RB 18-24 range without the upside previously seen.

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