Start Bucky Irving in Week 2: our RB12 projects for 14.6 points, 3.6 above a typical starting RB.
- Projection
- 14.6 pts
- RB rank
- #12
- Matchup
- vs CLE
Bucky Irving's fantasy role in Week 2
Bucky Irving goes into Week 2 of the 2026 season as a locked-in weekly starter at RB for the TB. He is rostered in 96% of leagues and actually started in 81% of them, and we rank him RB12 on our own weekly board at 14.6 projected points.
Roster rates are steady week over week, so his role looks settled rather than in flux.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 2 matchup breakdown
The matchup: vs CLE. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 3 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting RB baseline of 11 points, his 14.6-point projection is 3.6 points better. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Start Bucky Irving in Week 2: our RB12 projects for 14.6 points, 3.6 above a typical starting RB.
If you are deciding between him and another RB, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Bucky Irving (TB RB), our RB12 this week for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season vs CLE, projecting 14.6 projected points with a hot Pepper Meter rating. 81% of managers already start him, and the depth-chart role behind that number looks stable. I have him at RB12 because the projection lands about 33% clear of what a typical RB banks in a week. At home against CLE, I expect the game to stay competitive enough that his usage holds. Hot on the Pepper Meter reflects a steady weekly floor rather than a boom week — that's still a start.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Bucky Irving (TB RB), our RB12 this week for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season vs CLE, projecting 14.6 projected points with a hot Pepper Meter rating. 81% of managers already start him, and the depth-chart role behind that number looks stable. I have him at RB12 because the projection lands about 33% clear of what a typical RB banks in a week. At home against CLE, I expect the game to stay competitive enough that his usage holds. Hot on the Pepper Meter reflects a steady weekly floor rather than a boom week — that's still a start.