Bengals
Sean Tucker did not practice on Monday. Head coach Todd Bowles told reporters this week that his third running back is "a game-time decision right now" with an undisclosed injury, and that the specifics would wait for the club's official Wednesday report. For a team opening the season Sunday at the Cincinnati Bengals, that is a small injury note attached to a potentially useful fantasy answer.
Tucker is not Tampa Bay's lead back. That job belongs to Bucky Irving, with Kenneth Gainwell as the clear second option. But Tucker carved out a specific, high-value role in 2025: he was the Buccaneers' preferred weapon inside the five-yard line, and if he sits out Sunday, that job has to go somewhere. Here is what that means for Irving, Gainwell, Tucker himself, and practice-squad back Josh Williams in Week 1 against a Bengals defense that was historically bad against the run last season.
Why Tucker's absence would matter more than his workload suggests
On paper, Tucker was a complementary piece in 2025: 86 carries for 320 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns, plus 8 catches for 34 yards and a receiving score, according to stats from RotoWire and CBS Sports. Those touchdown numbers stand out relative to the touch count. Tucker converted 4 of 9 carries from inside the five-yard line into scores last season and became Tampa Bay's preferred red zone option down the stretch, per SI's Bucs Gameday.
In other words, Tucker's fantasy value in 2025 was concentrated almost entirely in short-yardage and goal-line work, the kind of role that does not show up in a snap count but does show up in a touchdown column. If he is out Sunday, that specific job, not his overall touch share, is what Tampa Bay has to reassign.
Who inherits the goal-line work
Bowles has not said who takes over if Tucker is inactive, and it would be a guess to assign a firm number of expected carries to any one player. But the candidates are clear. Irving is the every-down back and the most likely player to simply keep the ball on short-yardage snaps if the staff does not want to change personnel near the goal line. Gainwell, signed from Pittsburgh on a two-year contract this offseason as a receiving-oriented complement, is a less natural fit for pure power runs but would see more overall snaps in any scenario where Tampa Bay is down a healthy body in the backfield.
There is also a name few fantasy managers will recognize: Josh Williams. The undrafted second-year back out of LSU beat Tucker for early preseason snaps against Kansas City and was seen by Pewter Report as being given "a good, hard look" by the coaching staff, even though Tucker ultimately held the RB3 job into the regular season. If Tucker is ruled out, Williams is the practice-squad name in position to be elevated for Sunday, a standard NFL move that lets a team activate a practice-squad player for one game without giving up a roster spot. Pewter Report's scouting take described a between-the-tackles runner with good vision and contact balance but limited breakaway speed, a profile that could still see a handful of short-yardage snaps if he is active.
The matchup makes this worth watching
Whoever gets the extra work will be doing it against one of the league's worst run defenses. Cincinnati allowed more rushing yards than any team in the NFL in 2025 and gave up 5.2 yards per carry, the second-highest mark in the league, according to NFL Analysis Network. That is consistent with the defense already flagged in our Week 1 start/sit column as finishing 32nd, dead last, in most defensive categories a year ago, under a coordinator who was retained rather than replaced.
A defense that bad against the run raises the fantasy ceiling for anyone touching the ball in Tampa Bay's backfield Sunday, Tucker included if he plays. It also means that whatever share of goal-line work slides to Irving or Gainwell arrives in about as favorable a matchup as Week 1 offers.
The receiving side: Egbuka and McMillan
The backfield is not the only injury story this week. Wide receivers Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Jalen McMillan (knee) were both back at practice on Monday after missing stretches of camp, as covered in our full rundown of the return to practice. Neither had an official Week 1 designation as of this writing. If both play, expect a fuller three-man rotation with Chris Godwin; if either sits, more targets funnel to Godwin and the receivers behind him. Watch the same Wednesday report that will clarify Tucker's status.
Verdicts
Bucky Irving: RB1, every-down back
Kenneth Gainwell: RB2, receiving-down complement
Sean Tucker: RB3, goal-line specialist
Josh Williams: Practice-squad RB, elevation candidate
Irving does not need Tucker's absence to be a start against this defense, he already was one in our start/sit column. What Tucker's status changes is Gainwell's ceiling and whether a practice-squad name like Williams becomes a one-week story. Check the injury report before locking a Sunday lineup, because this is a situation that can flip from a footnote to a headline in the time between Wednesday's estimate and Sunday's inactives.
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