Bucs fantasy scoreboard, Week 5: Bucky Irving leads the way

The Buccaneers beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 on Thursday night, and the fantasy story was simple: Bucky Irving did almost everything. The Tampa Bay running back finished with 31.5 PPR points, more than the next two Tampa Bay scorers combined. Here is how the rest of the roster stacked up.

Week 5 fantasy scoreboard

Week 5: Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys, 24-16

Top scorers: 1. Bucky Irving (RB), 31.5 PPR. 2. Emeka Egbuka (WR), 17.2 PPR. 3. Jalon Daniels (QB), 13.9 PPR.

Irving carries the offense

Irving rushed 21 times for 165 yards and a touchdown, then added two catches for 10 yards and a second score. That is 29.5 points in standard scoring before a single reception counts, and 31.5 in full PPR. For context, Irving had 16 carries for 61 yards in the Week 4 loss to Green Bay, according to a recap summary from The Fantasy Footballers. A 21-carry workload with a 165-yard return is a different game entirely.

Nobody else came close. Irving also took three of the team's targets, a reminder that he is the one Tampa Bay back who touches the ball in every phase.

Egbuka finds a second way to score

Emeka Egbuka took second place with 17.2 PPR points, and he got there in an unusual way. The receiver caught six passes for 38 yards on nine targets, with no receiving touchdown, but he also scored on a 14-yard rushing attempt. Without that carry his day would have been a modest 9.8 PPR points. Nine targets is the number to remember, because it was the most on the team by a wide margin.

Daniels steady, not spectacular

Rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels was third at 13.9 points. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions, and added 23 rushing yards on seven carries. In his first NFL start a week earlier he threw two interceptions, per The Fantasy Footballers, so a clean game with no turnovers is the real improvement. His points came from steady work rather than big plays.

The quiet and the disappointing

The most interesting box score line belongs to Tez Johnson. He had one target and one catch, but it went for 64 yards, good for 7.4 PPR points on a single touch. That is a result worth noting, not one to count on.

Chris Godwin Jr. caught three of three targets for 37 yards and added a 3-yard carry, finishing with 7.0 PPR points. Kicker Chase McLaughlin scored 6.0 with a field goal and three extra points. The Buccaneers defense and special teams unit scored 7.0 on two interceptions and a fumble recovery, though it had no sacks and gave up 16 points.

Tight end was thin: Cade Otton caught three of four targets for 25 yards (5.5 PPR) and Payne Durham managed one catch for 5 yards (1.5). Kenny Gainwell had 4 carries for 18 yards and 3 catches for 10 yards (5.8 PPR), and Sean Tucker had 5 carries for 18 yards (1.8). Neither back scored, and both sat well behind Irving in the workload.

What it means for next week

Irving is a start every week, and 21 carries suggest the coaching staff trusts him with the load. Egbuka remains a solid WR2 in PPR formats because of the target volume, but do not plan around a rushing touchdown again. Daniels is a streaming option in deeper leagues or in superflex, and his Week 5 floor looks better than his Week 4 one. Tez Johnson is a speculative pickup in deep leagues only: one target is not a role. Gainwell and Tucker stay on benches unless an injury changes the backfield, and we have not verified any such news.

How we score

We use standard fantasy scoring: passing 0.04 per yard, 4 per touchdown and -2 per interception; rushing and receiving 0.1 per yard and 6 per touchdown; receptions worth 1.0 (PPR), 0.5 (half) or 0 (standard); a lost fumble costs 2 and a return touchdown is worth 6. Kickers get 3 per field goal, 1 per extra point and -1 per miss. Defenses get 1 per sack, 2 per interception or fumble recovery and 6 per touchdown, plus points-allowed tiers. Two-point conversions are not counted because they are not in the box score.