It’s now week eight in the NFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have proved to be one of the league’s highest scoring offenses so far. Baker Mayfield leads the NFL in passing touchdowns with eighteen and their star receivers have both shown they’re top fantasy options in 2024.
Things changed during the team’s Monday Night matchup against the Baltimore Ravens when star WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin went down with injuries that will keep them both out for the foreseeable future. An instant change to the Bucs' offensive philosophy will be in order, but how will they do it? And more importantly, who will be the beneficiaries of this newfound opportunity in Tampa Bay for your fantasy team?
How Will This Offense Look Now?
This is the first question you have to ask yourself when reviewing who will see a rise in contribution for this Bucs’ team. A clear pass-heavy offense is now without their premier guys and opposing defenses will now focus on making the Tampa Bay offense one dimensional.
When you have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the field, teams would much rather you run the ball on them, as they are serious threats at any point in an NFL game. But now opposing defenses will have the chance to focus on the Buccaneer rushing attack and now force Baker Mayfield to trust his young, unproven receiving group.
The “three-headed monster” approach from the Bucs’ running back group will have to continue to be a trend. All of Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker will all see touches and targets through the air as this offense will have to evolve without their top offensive weapons. These three have shown they can catch passes and should be a part of the game plan when distributing passing targets for QB Baker Mayfield.
What Players Are Worth Picking Up & Potentially Starting In Fantasy?
Understanding the Bucs may have to rely on their rushing attack a bit more should play into your decision to add any of the available Tampa Bay players that are free agents in your fantasy league. Clearly Baker Mayfield, Rachaad White and Bucky Irving are names that will more than likely already be rostered, but there are a plethora of options you may want to put the waiver claim on if your roster is thin or dealing with injury.
Receiver Jalen McMillan is a name that instantly comes to mind when thinking of players who may catch a touchdown or rack up a decent amount of yards. After catching a 32-yard touchdown catch in his debut, the rookie out of the University of Washington began to deal with a hamstring injury that kept him out for a handful of games.
Finally returning in their week six game, McMillan saw a drop off in snap count and his only target of the game ended up in an interception. Now going into week nine, he’ll fly up the depth chart and surely demand multiple targets a game. Without Evans or Godwin, McMillan will now be matched up against opposing team’s top defenders and be a target to shut down. It will be up to offensive coordinator Liam Coen to put the rookie in a position to succeed, but this will be an amazing opportunity for McMillan in his rookie campaign, to not only show that he’s here to stay, but to become a consistent, unlikely fantasy option for your team.
The other young, exciting weapon on this roster is second-year receiver Trey Palmer. He burst onto the scene last season after having to step-up as the Bucs third receiver after veteran Russell Gage went down with a torn patellar tendon. Palmer showed fans his game-changing speed early on in 2024 and has a chance to bring an element to this offense they otherwise would lack.
Palmer has over-the-top speed that forces defenses to lock in on him to ensure he doesn’t catch them by surprise, but he hasn’t shown the sharp route-running or impressive catching ability that Bucs’ fans are used to. If Baker Mayfield and Palmer are able to get on the same page, paired with his big play ability and breakaway speed, this receiver has the highest ceiling in terms of fantasy points moving forward.
If you aren’t into taking risks, veteran receiver Sterling Shepard should continue to see production as a Buccaneer and has already been a top option in an NFL receiving room before. The former collegiate teammate of Baker Mayfield already has a connection with the Bucs quarterback and already has a couple catches in 2024, including a touchdown.
Shepard still has NFL-level talent, as he’s shown in 2024, but has consistently dealt with injury when having to play a full allotment of plays as a team’s top option. He should be expected to be targeted on third down, and short-yardage situations, as that’s been his bread and butter throughout his career. If you’re looking for a consistent, high-floor type of receiver, I would expect Shepard to see a fair share of targets, but would rely on getting in the end zone to have a higher scoring fantasy week (as he already did against Atlanta in week six).
One of the most slept-on beneficiaries (from a fantasy standpoint) of Godwin and Evans’ absences, will be tight end Cade Otton. You saw Baker Mayfield immediately look Otton’s way once he lost both of his top receivers, pushing the tight end’s final stat line to 100 total yards on eight receptions.
Otton isn't the league’s best receiving option or the strongest blocking tight end, but with how things currently stand, his reliable hands and being where’s supposed to be will be a huge factor in this passing attack. If you’re questioning your current fantasy tight end or have been switching them in and out so far this season, you may want to look at the availability of the Bucs top tight end.
Uncertainty Moving Forward
It just isn’t so easy to predict which Bucs’ players will see an influx of production due to the absence of Evans and Godwin, but there surely will be somebody who takes advantage of their opportunity.
With a mix of both young and veteran talent, this group of receivers could end up being the same group to carry this Tampa Bay offense through the next few weeks. Opposed to contrary belief that the Bucs should either trade or sign outside talent to help contribute immediately.
An outside option that the Bucs sign or trade for could emerge as the Bucs top fantasy option, undoubtedly.
It’s now week eight in the NFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have proved to be one of the league’s highest scoring offenses so far. Baker Mayfield leads the NFL in passing touchdowns with eighteen and their star receivers have both shown they’re top fantasy options in 2024.
Things changed during the team’s Monday Night matchup against the Baltimore Ravens when star WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin went down with injuries that will keep them both out for the foreseeable future. An instant change to the Bucs' offensive philosophy will be in order, but how will they do it? And more importantly, who will be the beneficiaries of this newfound opportunity in Tampa Bay for your fantasy team?
How Will This Offense Look Now?
This is the first question you have to ask yourself when reviewing who will see a rise in contribution for this Bucs’ team. A clear pass-heavy offense is now without their premier guys and opposing defenses will now focus on making the Tampa Bay offense one dimensional.
When you have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the field, teams would much rather you run the ball on them, as they are serious threats at any point in an NFL game. But now opposing defenses will have the chance to focus on the Buccaneer rushing attack and now force Baker Mayfield to trust his young, unproven receiving group.
The “three-headed monster” approach from the Bucs’ running back group will have to continue to be a trend. All of Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker will all see touches and targets through the air as this offense will have to evolve without their top offensive weapons. These three have shown they can catch passes and should be a part of the game plan when distributing passing targets for QB Baker Mayfield.
What Players Are Worth Picking Up & Potentially Starting In Fantasy?
Understanding the Bucs may have to rely on their rushing attack a bit more should play into your decision to add any of the available Tampa Bay players that are free agents in your fantasy league. Clearly Baker Mayfield, Rachaad White and Bucky Irving are names that will more than likely already be rostered, but there are a plethora of options you may want to put the waiver claim on if your roster is thin or dealing with injury.
Receiver Jalen McMillan is a name that instantly comes to mind when thinking of players who may catch a touchdown or rack up a decent amount of yards. After catching a 32-yard touchdown catch in his debut, the rookie out of the University of Washington began to deal with a hamstring injury that kept him out for a handful of games.
Finally returning in their week six game, McMillan saw a drop off in snap count and his only target of the game ended up in an interception. Now going into week nine, he’ll fly up the depth chart and surely demand multiple targets a game. Without Evans or Godwin, McMillan will now be matched up against opposing team’s top defenders and be a target to shut down. It will be up to offensive coordinator Liam Coen to put the rookie in a position to succeed, but this will be an amazing opportunity for McMillan in his rookie campaign, to not only show that he’s here to stay, but to become a consistent, unlikely fantasy option for your team.
The other young, exciting weapon on this roster is second-year receiver Trey Palmer. He burst onto the scene last season after having to step-up as the Bucs third receiver after veteran Russell Gage went down with a torn patellar tendon. Palmer showed fans his game-changing speed early on in 2024 and has a chance to bring an element to this offense they otherwise would lack.
Palmer has over-the-top speed that forces defenses to lock in on him to ensure he doesn’t catch them by surprise, but he hasn’t shown the sharp route-running or impressive catching ability that Bucs’ fans are used to. If Baker Mayfield and Palmer are able to get on the same page, paired with his big play ability and breakaway speed, this receiver has the highest ceiling in terms of fantasy points moving forward.
If you aren’t into taking risks, veteran receiver Sterling Shepard should continue to see production as a Buccaneer and has already been a top option in an NFL receiving room before. The former collegiate teammate of Baker Mayfield already has a connection with the Bucs quarterback and already has a couple catches in 2024, including a touchdown.
Shepard still has NFL-level talent, as he’s shown in 2024, but has consistently dealt with injury when having to play a full allotment of plays as a team’s top option. He should be expected to be targeted on third down, and short-yardage situations, as that’s been his bread and butter throughout his career. If you’re looking for a consistent, high-floor type of receiver, I would expect Shepard to see a fair share of targets, but would rely on getting in the end zone to have a higher scoring fantasy week (as he already did against Atlanta in week six).
One of the most slept-on beneficiaries (from a fantasy standpoint) of Godwin and Evans’ absences, will be tight end Cade Otton. You saw Baker Mayfield immediately look Otton’s way once he lost both of his top receivers, pushing the tight end’s final stat line to 100 total yards on eight receptions.
Otton isn't the league’s best receiving option or the strongest blocking tight end, but with how things currently stand, his reliable hands and being where’s supposed to be will be a huge factor in this passing attack. If you’re questioning your current fantasy tight end or have been switching them in and out so far this season, you may want to look at the availability of the Bucs top tight end.
Uncertainty Moving Forward
It just isn’t so easy to predict which Bucs’ players will see an influx of production due to the absence of Evans and Godwin, but there surely will be somebody who takes advantage of their opportunity.
With a mix of both young and veteran talent, this group of receivers could end up being the same group to carry this Tampa Bay offense through the next few weeks. Opposed to contrary belief that the Bucs should either trade or sign outside talent to help contribute immediately.
An outside option that the Bucs sign or trade for could emerge as the Bucs top fantasy option, undoubtedly.
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