By james art Garion Thorne breaks down the fantasy value of Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker heading into Week 7’s MNF matchup with the Ravens.
Look, I don’t want to be too dramatic, but the term “hot hand” is probably the worst thing you can hear a coach say when it comes to his running backs. Unfortunately for us, that’s exactly the term Todd Bowles used earlier this week when discussing his three-headed monster of Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. All three will play on Monday Night Football, but the trio’s usage outside of that fact is anyone’s guess.
Tucker was absolutely incredible with White (ankle) sidelined last weekend, racking up an impressive 192 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns on 17 touches. Is this sustainable in any way? Even if White can’t play in Week 7? Obviously not. However, it’s the kind of showing that gets the former undrafted RB’s attention in the coaching staff ranks. I don’t think this situation is as easy to analyze as one might think. White may be the incumbent and Irving is the high-profile rookie who was just taken in the fourth round, but Tucker has certainly earned his opportunity.
All told, Tucker’s path to viability appears to be extremely difficult to imagine. The fact that Tucker was able to register those impressive stats in Week 6 with a 37.7% snap share is amazing, but it also doesn’t bode well for his rushing ceiling with White and Irving both. If anything, Tucker’s role will be less about his own viability and more about the negative impact he will have on his teammates’ viability.
Matchup is another aspect of my general hesitancy to trust either of these RBs in Week 7. The Ravens defense is among the best in the league this season, surrendering the second fewest FPTS per game to opposing backfields. In fact, Baltimore is allowing just 59.0 opponent rushing yards per contest so far in 2024. Not only is that the lowest total in the NFL, but no other unit is allowing fewer than 80.0 opponent rushing yards per game. The Ravens are in a league of their own.
Sean Tucker was incredible last Sunday, but you can’t chase fantastic moments from the past. Even at best, Tucker enters Monday night in the middle of a three-man return by committee situation. He’s also in a terrible matchup. Break free from recency bias. It’s not a fancy environment that you want to try and use.
Start or sit Sean Tucker? Sit down.
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All opinions expressed are my own. I am a DraftKings employee and am not eligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.