Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Buccaneers drafted Oregon RB Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Irving earned 133 carries as a freshman at Minnesota, but left after that season. He transferred to Oregon in 2022 and immediately earned a 1A backfield role. That year, the 192-pounder showed surprising power with 4.36 yards after contact per attempt. Nearly 22% of his carries went for 10+ yards en route to a career-best 6.8 yards per carry. Irving struggled with drops, but that issue proved less worrisome in 2023. Irving even led the nation in receptions by a RB (55). He showed scheme versatility by lining up out wide on 13.2% of his passing snaps. He played the slot nearly 10% of the time. On the ground, Irving remained productive while running both gap and zone concepts. The junior posted career highs in carries (186), yards (1,192), and TDs (11). By mid-winter, it looked like Irving had a chance to be among the first couple of RBs selected. Then came a horrid NFL Combine that included a 2.25 Relative Athletic Score. Irving posted a 26th-percentile broad jump (9'7) and 4th-percentile vertical (29.5 inches). He came off the board sixth among RBs, though, and lands in a Tampa Bay backfield that presents opportunity. Rachaad White enjoyed a breakout 2023 but did so primarily thanks to touch volume. He ranked sixth-lowest among qualifiers in rush yards over expected per attempt, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Among 63 RBs with at least 60 carries, White ranked just 48th in yards after contact per attempt (according to Pro Football Focus). He even checked in just 27th in PFF receiving grade among 61 RBs with at least 20 targets. Expect Irving to siphon some work from White right away, with a chance to keep earning more. This is a good landing spot for Irving's dynasty outlook. We'll see where he lands in rookie ADP.

The Buccaneers selected Washington WR Jalen McMillan in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. McMillan functioned as Washington’s primary slot over the past two seasons, with 2022 turning up peak production (79-1,098-0). He hit 80 yards in seven of 13 games. McMillan even out-targeted Rome Odunze (118-110) with help from one extra game played. Last year, a left MCL sprain limited McMillan’s output. Still, he posted solid marks in yards per route run (2.30) and yards after catch per reception (6.4). Notably, his aDOT dropped to 9.6 – well below the 13.1 figure he posted in ‘22. Of course, catching balls from Round 1 QB Michael Penix Jr. helped. But the tape here shows a nice blend of route polish and athleticism. At the NFL Combine, McMillan registered a strong 9.33 Relative Athletic Score, highlighted by a 10’7” broad jump. The 6’1, 203-pounder could earn a starting role as soon as 2025 when Chris Godwin is due for free agency. For 2024, though, McMillan is only worth stashing in deep formats.

The Buccaneers are finalizing a three-year extension with QB Baker Mayfield, according to multiple reports. The pact will reportedly pay him $100 million, with $50 million guaranteed and another $15 million available in incentives. The impact: Mayfield looks like the Tampa Bay QB for at least the next two years -- and probably the next three. He enjoyed a rebound 2023 and will continue to have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as his top two wideouts. Mayfield delivered six top-12 fantasy finishes at the position last season and remains a nice value at his low draft cost. He should remain a solid late QB2 for 2024 redraft leagues.

The Buccaneers have agreed to a two-year extension with WR Mike Evans. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports it'll pay $52 million over the span, including $35 million in guarantees. This always seemed the most likely path, though some recent reports suggested talks were breaking down and Evans might reach free agency. He'll now stay in Tampa Bay for his age-31 and age-32 seasons. Evans has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his 10 Bucs seasons. His 2023 felt like a rebound, but that was mostly because of bad TD luck in 2022. Evans did lead the league with 13 TD catches in 2023, his third season among the past four with at least 13 scores. His 15.9 yards per catch marked his highest average since 2019 and beat his career average. We'll see how Tampa's QB situation shakes out, with Baker Mayfield headed for free agency. But betting against Evans hasn't worked very well to date.

Oregon RB Bucky Irving posted a weak 3.71 Relative Athletic Score in Scouting Combine testing Saturday. That ranks 1,111 among 1,765 RBs since 1987, according to RAS.football. That's not good, but it's also not necessarily a killer. We need only look back two years to find Kyren Williams scoring even lower in his Combine workout. The fifth-round pick of the Rams endured a quiet rookie campaign before a breakthrough 2023. Like Williams, Irving delivered a productive college career. That included leading the Ducks in carries and yards per carry each of the past two years, averaging 6.2 yards per rush for his career, averaging 8.3 yards per catch for his career, and tallying 95 career receptions. His Combine testing should temper excitement for his NFL upside and seems likely to hurt his draft status. But it certainly doesn't kill his chances of becoming fantasy relevant.

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles told reporters at the Scouting Combine that he'd "definitely like to have another back in here to take some of the weight off" RB Rachaad White. That statement shouldn't surprise anyone. White ranked sixth in the league in opportunity share last season and second in carries. He remained inefficient as a runner, though. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and ranked 38th among 44 qualifying RBs in rushing success rate. We're not betting Tampa Bay will replace White as the backfield leader. But the team would clearly like to upgrade on the rest of its 2023 backfield. And that's likely to cut into White's work share some. You might be surprised to see where White sits in our 2024 RB rankings, because we're already factoring in that expectation.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Buccaneers would owe WR Mike Evans $28.4 million for 2024 if they use the franchise tag to retain him. That's significantly higher than the league-wide WR tag salary of $21.6 million because Evans carried a $23.7 million cap hit in 2023. This obviously doesn't keep Tampa Bay from signing Evans to a longer-term extension ahead of free agency. And it might not even keep the Bucs from tagging Evans. Spotrac projects the team to be more than $37 million under the 2024 even with the existing $12.2 million hit of Evans' voided 2024. The team could also tag Evans and then rescind the tag if he doesn't sign the tender and the two sides fail to work out a longer deal. We're betting for now that the 31-year-old (come Aug. 21) sticks around. But that's no sure thing.

Update: Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz says his "understanding is Evans is trending toward becoming a free agent, barring an unexpected change in discussions."

New Bucs OC Liam Coen said he'll get WR Chris Godwin back into the slot going forward. Godwin played just 37% of his snaps last season -- down from 63+% in each of the previous four years. Per The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud, the Bucs moved Godwin outside in order to preserve his health. Godwin has averaged 1.90 yards per route from the slot vs. 1.92 from the outside over the past five seasons, so there's not a major fantasy impact from this news.

Liam Coen is expected to be named the Bucs' new OC, according to NFL Network. Coen broke into the NFL coaching ranks as a Rams assistant under HC Sean McVay from 2018 to 2020. He headed to the college ranks in 2021 as Kentucky's OC, re-joined McVay as Rams OC in 2022, and then bounced back to Kentucky's OC job this past year. The most noteworthy aspect of this hire is that Coen spent the second half of that 2022 season with QB Baker Mayfield, who's scheduled to hit free agency next month. A return to Tampa Bay seems to make the most sense for both sides.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ankle, ribs) is active for tonight's game vs. the Eagles. He never seemed to be in danger of missing this one, although he won't be at 100% after getting in just two limited practices this week.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ribs, ankle) is expected to play vs. the Eagles on Monday night, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe. Mayfield only got in limited practices on Friday and Saturday and is listed as questionable, so he'll clearly be at less than 100% for this win-or-go-home game. The matchup against Philadelphia's 31st-ranked QB defense still gives Mayfield some DFS tournament appeal.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ankle, ribs) is listed as questionable for Monday night's playoff game vs. the Eagles. He got in limited practices on Friday and Saturday. We'd be surprised if Mayfield did not play on Monday, but we'll continue to keep you updated on his status. QB Kyle Trask is Mayfield's backup.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ankle, ribs) returned to a limited practice on Friday. He'll start Monday night's Wild Card game vs. the Eagles, although he won't be operating at 100%.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ankle, ribs) did not practice on Thursday. He played through the rib issue last week; the ankle is new. Mayfield is banged up but should be out there for Monday night's Wild Card game vs. the Eagles. We'll keep an eye on his status over the next few days.

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin led a muted passing day with 6 receptions and 51 yards in Sunday's 9-0 win over the Panthers. That victory clinched the division title and a playoff spot for Tampa Bay, and Godwin will be a decent option for playoff fantasy contests. He might be more attractive for dynasty this offseason, though. Godwin will turn just 28 in February and has one year remaining on his contract. That year carries a $27.5 million cap hit, which could motivate an extension this offseason to spread out the charges. Godwin enjoyed an effective season, which included his most yards per catch and deepest average target depth since 2020. He also stayed mostly healthy, missing no games. If teammate Mike Evans leaves in free agency, Godwin could see even more target share in 2024. And the question of what Tampa Bay does at QB figures to keep the WR's fantasy cost down. Consider giving him a look in dynasty trades this offseason. (Godwin currently sits higher in our dynasty WR rankings than he does in the KeepTradeCut rankings.) We'll see where Godwin settles in early best ball drafting.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans caught just three of a team-high 8 targets for 22 yards in Sunday's win over the Panthers. Tampa Bay managed just 137 passing yards and 9 points for the game, so there wasn't much offense for anyone. But the Bucs did close out the NFC South title. You can check our updated NFL playoff rankings this week to see where Evans lands if you're continuing the fantasy football season. Beyond that, though, Evans faces free agency this March ahead of his age-31 campaign. Spotrac projects the Buccaneers to carry about $48 million in cap space for 2024, so there could be room to re-sign the vet. But the team appeared to decide against extending Evans at the beginning of this season. We'd bet right now on Evans leaving town. His performance this year has shown Evans can still play. He averaged his most yards per target (9.2) since 2020 and most yards per catch since 2019. The uncertainty will add risk to Evans in early best ball drafting. But there could also be opportunity in those drafts and the dynasty trade market if uncertainty pushes Evans' price down. He'll be worth a look wherever he's valued as a mid-to-low WR3.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ribs) is active for today’s game vs. the Panthers. He put in a full practice on Friday, and we’re not expecting the rib issue to be a major factor today.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ribs) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Panthers. He put in a full practice on Friday, and HC Todd Bowles confirmed that Mayfield will play on Sunday. The rib issue adds just a little risk to Mayfield’s Week 18 fantasy profile.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ribs) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He figures to gut it out for this weekend's must-win game vs. the Panthers, but we'll see how he's listed on the final injury report tomorrow.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ribs) did not practice on Wednesday. "Just one of those things that's tender," Mayfield said." I've dealt with rib injuries before. Rest and just as the week goes on otherwise helps. ... I'll do everything I can to be out there. That's for sure. Division on the line, playoff hopes on the line. Going back to Carolina. Yeah, I'll do everything I can." We'll keep you updated on Mayfield's status over the next few days. QB Kyle Trask would get the start in a must-win game if Mayfield is out.