The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Bucky Irving.
Is Bucky Irving Playing in Week 9?
Bucky Irving did not practice to begin the week with a toe injury. This ended up mirroring last week’s DNP-DNP-LP practice pattern, which saw Irving play against the Atlanta Falcons. He is officially listed as questionable against the Chiefs.
The rookie logged nine rushes for 44 yards and seven receptions for 40 yards in that game as part of a three-headed timeshare with Rachaad White and Sean Tucker.
Unfortunately, head coach Todd Bowles has suggested that Irving’s toe could be problematic for the rest of the season.
Todd Bowles said Bucky Irving will be dealing with his toe issue all year. Bucs holding him out of some practices to make sure he can get on the field.
— JoeBucsFan (@JoeBucsFan) October 31, 2024
Tampa Bay’s backfield is a headache for fantasy managers. Over the last two weeks, the carry distribution has gone to Irving (18), White (16), and Tucker (seven). Irving has gotten both carries from the 5-yard line or closer, but that’s not enough of a sample to definitively label him the goal-line back.
Based on their usage this season, White would see a larger bump in value than Tucker if Irving cannot play.
We’ll continue to monitor the Buccaneers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Bucky Irving in Week 9?
As much as I like what we see from Bucky Irving on a weekly basis, Rachaad White continues to be just involved, and that’s a problem in a tough matchup like this.
The Chiefs own the highest success rate against running backs and have an offense that can control the tempo. My problem with the Bucs is that they have two backs that thrive as pass catchers. How are we supposed to project usage with confidence?
I have Irving (seven catches last week and 14 catches on 15 targets in October) as the favorite to lead Tampa Bay’s backfield in touches thanks to the edge in rushing efficiency, but this is a hot-hand situation that will be a headache moving forward.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Bucky Irving’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9
Irving is projected to score 12.1 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 14.6 rushing attempts for 65.8 yards and 0.4 touchdowns. It also includes 1 receptions for 20 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insights: Kansas City Chiefs Defense
After a run of three games posting Defense+ numbers above 50, the Chiefs saw some regression in Week 8, which is a concern considering that happened against the Las Vegas Raiders. After struggling out of the gate, the Chiefs’ defense has shown some improvement in the last five games, with their 20 points allowed to the Raiders being the highest in that stretch.
There are some concerns for the Chiefs’ pass defense, as they rank 23rd for their success rate and sack rate. However, they have been very good against the run, and the net effect has generally been top-10 numbers in crucial statistics like yards per play, points per drive, and total defensive EPA. With their efficient offense, the Chiefs’ defense simply needs to be “good enough,” and they are hitting that mark comfortably.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Bucky Irving’s Week 9 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:45 AM ET on Wednesday, December 25. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. DAL)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at SF)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (at HOU)
4) Bijan Robinson | ATL (at WAS)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (at MIN)
6) De'Von Achane | MIA (at CLE)
7) Jonathan Taylor | IND (at NYG)
8) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. DEN)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (vs. ARI)
10) James Conner | ARI (at LAR)
11) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. CAR)
12) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (at TB)
13) James Cook | BUF (vs. NYJ)
14) Breece Hall | NYJ (at BUF)
15) Joe Mixon | HOU (vs. BAL)
16) Aaron Jones | MIN (vs. GB)
17) Jerome Ford | CLE (vs. MIA)
18) Tony Pollard | TEN (at JAX)
19) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. ATL)
20) D'Andre Swift | CHI (vs. SEA)
21) Rico Dowdle | DAL (at PHI)
22) Isaac Guerendo | SF (vs. DET)
23) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. LAC)
24) Rachaad White | TB (vs. CAR)
25) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (vs. IND)
26) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at CHI)
27) Alexander Mattison | LV (at NO)
28) Isiah Pacheco | KC (at PIT)
29) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at JAX)
30) Kendre Miller | NO (vs. LV)
31) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
32) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. KC)
33) Javonte Williams | DEN (at CIN)
34) Justice Hill | BAL (at HOU)
35) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. KC)
36) Gus Edwards | LAC (at NE)
37) Tank Bigsby | JAX (vs. TEN)
38) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at NO)
39) Kareem Hunt | KC (at PIT)
40) Devin Singletary | NYG (vs. IND)
41) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (at WAS)
42) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at NE)
43) Audric Estimé | DEN (at CIN)
44) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at CLE)
45) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. NYJ)
46) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. LAC)
47) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. DAL)
48) Craig Reynolds | DET (at SF)
49) Cam Akers | MIN (vs. GB)
50) Ty Johnson | BUF (vs. NYJ)
51) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. ARI)
52) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (vs. DET)
53) Roschon Johnson | CHI (vs. SEA)
54) Braelon Allen | NYJ (at BUF)
55) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. ATL)
56) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (at CIN)
57) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (at BUF)
58) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (vs. MIA)
59) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. KC)
60) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. LV)
61) Emanuel Wilson | GB (at MIN)
62) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at LAR)
63) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (at HOU)
64) Chris Brooks | GB (at MIN)
65) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (vs. MIA)
66) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (vs. DET)
67) Trey Benson | ARI (at LAR)
68) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (at CHI)
69) Michael Carter | ARI (at LAR)
70) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. CAR)
71) Samaje Perine | KC (at PIT)
72) Israel Abanikanda | SF (vs. DET)
73) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (at PHI)
74) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. DEN)
75) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (vs. BAL)
76) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at CLE)
77) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (vs. DET)
78) Trey Sermon | IND (at NYG)
79) Mike Boone | CAR (at TB)
80) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (vs. ATL)
81) Dameon Pierce | HOU (vs. BAL)
82) Sione Vaki | DET (at SF)
83) Hunter Luepke | DAL (at PHI)
84) Alec Ingold | MIA (at CLE)
85) Tyler Goodson | IND (at NYG)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs Insights
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Team: This is the first of a seven-game stretch that sees Tampa Bay play five road games.
QB: Baker Mayfield has thrown for 325 yards and three touchdowns in three straight games – the last player with a four-game streak was Aaron Rodgers bridging the 2012-13 seasons.
Offense: The Bucs are averaging 2.57 points per drive, pacing for their second most this millennium (other: 2020, Super Bowl champions).
Defense: Over the past two weeks (BAL and ATL), Tampa Bay has allowed 3.6 points per drive (Weeks 1-6: 2.0).
Fantasy: We spent a lot of time last week trying to pin the tail on the Buccaneer WR most likely to step up when it proved to be the existing pieces—against the Falcons, Cade Otton, Bucky Irving, and Rachaad White accounted for 48.2% of Tampa Bay’s receiving yards and 56.8% of their receptions.
Betting: Tampa Bay is 4-16 ATS (20%) over their past 20 primetime games (0-2 this season in a pair of shootouts – 36-30 loss to the Falcons in Week 5 and a 41-31 loss to the Ravens in Week 7).
Kansas City Chiefs
Team: This isn’t the high-flying offense we want it to be, but there is an offensive floor that comes with Patrick Mahomes, and that’s enough—this team hasn’t lost a game in which they’ve scored over 20 points since December 4, 2022 (at Bengals).
QB: Mahomes doesn’t have a completion that traveled 20 yards in the air in October.
Offense: The Chiefs averaged 31.1 points per game in their 2022 wins. That number dropped to 25.0 last season and is even lower in their undefeated start this season (24.7).
Defense: They proved willing to ramp up the aggression last week in Vegas if they identify it as a weakness of their opponent – 47.1% blitz rate after checking in under 28% in each of their three games prior.
Fantasy: Mahomes hasn’t finished better than QB16 in six straight games and has a lower pass touchdown rate than Will Levis this season.
Betting: Mahomes has covered all three of his primetime games this season (Ravens, Falcons, and Saints) after covering just three of his most recent 11 regular season primetime games entering 2024.