The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to get Bucky Irving back this week.
After missing several games, Irving was able to log three full practices this week for the first time since his injuries and is going to suit up.
While the Bucs and fantasy football owners are excited to have him back, it isn't clear just how much work Irving is going to get in his first game back.
After all, he has missed a ton of time and the Bucs might be looking to ease him back in as a result, which would limit his workload.
When asked about how much Irving might play in Week 13, head coach Todd Bowles revealed that it's going to be a hot-hand approach at running back.
“We’ll put him in,” he said of Irving for Week 13, per ESPN's Jenna Laine. “Once he 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.”
On Saturday morning, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said that while Irving might be on a pitch count, the Bucs' need to win could trump that. Fowler also reiterated what Bowles said about the hot-hand approach.
"While Bucky Irving could be on a pitch count, Bucs need to win. A hot-hand situation at RB not out of question," Fowler said.
This creates all sorts of head aches for fantasy football managers who have to decide what to do with Irving this week.
The answer for what to expect out of Irving might have come from Josh Grizzard, the team's offensive coordinator, earlier in the week.
Grizzard said Irving could go the same route wide receiver Chris Godwin did last week when he returned from injury and played 25 snaps.
"OC Josh Grizzard compared the potential workload for Bucky Irving in his return to action this Sunday with how the team handled Chis Godwin’s return last week," Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com reported.
Irving was averaging nearly 50 snaps per game when he was healthy earlier this season, so 25 would amount to about half of his normal workload.
At this point, we would say Irving is probably going to get around that many snaps and anywhere from 10-12 touches while ceding some work to Sean Tucker and/or Rachaad White.
If that's the case, we would consider Irving a shaky flex option for Week 13.
More NFL News
- What Bears' Week 13 win over Eagles means for NFC North
- Cowboys urged to re-sign projected $153 million free agent
- What Eagles' Week 13 loss to Bears means for NFC East
- Why Marvin Harrison Jr. Might not play in Week 13