Bucs fantasy scoreboard, Week 7: Bucky Irving leads the way

The Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers 43-13 on Sunday, and the fantasy scoreboard reads like the game felt: the ground game did the heavy lifting. Bucky Irving carried 24 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns, which was worth 24.0 points in PPR leagues and made him the top Buccaneer by a wide margin.

Below is the full ranking for Tampa Bay, built from the ESPN box score. Only Buccaneers are listed, never the opponent.

Week 7 fantasy scoreboard

Week 7: Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers, 43-13

Top scorers: 1. Bucky Irving (RB), 24.0 PPR. 2. Tez Johnson (WR), 12.7 PPR. 3. Sean Tucker (RB), 11.2 PPR.

The top three

Irving was the story. Beyond the 106 rushing yards and two scores, he caught one pass for 4 yards on two targets, which adds up to 23.0 points in standard scoring and 23.5 in half-PPR. Even in leagues that give nothing for receptions, he finished with roughly double anyone else on the offense.

Tez Johnson came second with 12.7 PPR points (10.7 standard). The receiver caught both of his targets for 33 yards and a touchdown, and he also had one carry for 14 yards. That rushing yardage is a useful reminder that a small role can still pay off when a player touches the ball in more than one way.

Sean Tucker was third with 11.2 points, identical in every format because he did not catch a pass. He ran 7 times for 52 yards and a touchdown. It was a very efficient line, at more than 7 yards per carry.

The rest of the field

Kicker Chase McLaughlin made both field goals and all five extra points for 11.0 points, which would have placed him just behind Tucker. The Buccaneers' defense and special teams unit was the other big number: five sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a touchdown and only 13 points allowed produced 23.0 points, almost level with Irving.

Kenny Gainwell added 14 carries for 88 yards and no touchdowns, good for 8.8 points in every format. Add up the backfield and it ran for 246 yards across Irving, Tucker and Gainwell, a number worth remembering if you hold more than one of them.

The quiet afternoons

The passing game produced less than the score suggests. Baker Mayfield finished 7 of 11 for 64 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions, plus a 1-yard run, for 6.66 points. Backup Jalon Daniels recorded two carries for minus 3 yards (minus 0.3 points). The box score does not tell us why the passing volume was so low, and we are not going to guess.

Chris Godwin Jr. caught 4 of his 5 targets for 27 yards: 6.7 PPR points, 4.7 in half-PPR and 2.7 standard. Cade Otton and Ted Hurst III each had one target and no catches, so both scored 0.0. David Sills V, Ko Kieft and Calijah Kancey appear in the box score without a counting fantasy stat.

What it means for next week

Irving's workload (24 carries) is the number to trust. Whatever the game script is, he is the back to start. Tucker's touchdown is nice, but 7 carries is not a volume you can build a lineup around, so treat him as a touchdown-dependent flex at best. Gainwell's 14 carries show he has real work in a blowout, though his ceiling stays limited without goal-line scores.

Johnson is worth a look on waivers in deeper leagues after a touchdown on two targets, but two targets is a small sample and we would not drop a proven starter for him. Godwin's 5 targets were modest, and Mayfield's low attempt count is a game-script note, not a trend yet. McLaughlin and the defense are both solid streamers as long as Tampa Bay keeps scoring, but check each week's injury report and matchup before locking anyone in.

How we score

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