The Buccaneers didn't play QB Baker Mayfield at all in the second preseason game. Instead, they rode Kyle Trask throughout the first half, and then re-inserted him after John Wolford left with a neck injury. HC Todd Bowles said afterward that doesn't mean he has named a starter. "We were going to play Baker at the end of the half, but we wanted to see Kyle in the two-minute period, so we kind of left him at the time it went down," Bowles said, according to Pewter Report. "He was up to play. I made the decision at the last minute." Although Bowles still refuses to admit it, signs sure seem to point toward Mayfield being the guy. Of course, either Bucs QB will only be an option in 2-QB and superflex formats, or as a late third QB in best ball drafts.
Preseason Round 1 of the Bucs' QB battle went to Baker Mayfield. He got the start in Friday's night exhibition vs. the Steelers and finished 8-of-9 for 63 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INTs across three possessions. QB Kyle Trask played the next four series, completing 6 of 10 passes for 99 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT. Mayfield earned a strong 87.7 Pro Football Focus passing grade vs. Trask's 57.4. This battle probably isn't settled just yet, but Mayfield is the favorite to open the season as Tampa's starter.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield will start this week's preseason opener, and QB Kyle Trask will start the second exhibition, according to Pewter Report. Mayfield and Trask have reportedly been splitting first-team reps in training camp. This is further confirmation that this remains an ongoing battle.
Bucs OC Dave Canales said Tuesday that the competition for the team's starting QB job is even tighter now than it was earlier this offseason. QB Kyle Trask has had a nice start to camp, while QB Baker Mayfield has already tossed five INTs. “The first couple of days, I think the experience that Baker brings – just playing in games, being in camps, going through installs – you can see where the offense was gelling really well,” Canales said. "But it just took a couple of days for Kyle to really settle in. And then what we saw is the last two practices, Kyle really showed what he can do, stretching the field with his arm, getting the ball out quickly, making decisions. So I’m really excited about both of those guys and the progressions they’ve made throughout the last couple of days.” This battle figures to ultimately be decided in preseason action. Stay tuned.
Bucs reporter Jenna Laine believes QB Kyle Trask has improved his processing and decisiveness since minicamp. “The QB competition is a lot closer than it was back then,” Laine tweeted. Trask and Baker Mayfield are splitting first-team reps in training camp. We might not get a Week 1 starter named until after the preseason.
Former Vikings GM -- and current CBS analyst -- Rick Spielman visited Buccaneers minicamp in June and came away expecting QB Baker Mayfield to be the starter. "Even though they say it's an open competition, the feel that I got, there's no question Baker will be the starting quarterback," Spielman said on a CBS podcast. That's certainly the general assumption and how we have Bucs passers in our QB rankings. But Mayfield would get at least a slight boost as the sure starter. And his current Underdog Fantasy superflex ADP has him at QB32, last among starters. Especially if you combine him with WRs Chris Godwin and/or Mike Evans -- or even RB Rachaad White, who caught 50 passes as a rookie -- there's upside for Mayfield from that starting point. Check out our superflex rankings for more.
Greg Auman of Fox Sports believes the Bucs might use more pre-snap motion and shifting in 2023. Tampa Bay utilized motion at the snap on only 7.5% of its plays last year — 2nd fewest league-wide, per ESPN. New OC Dave Canales comes from a Seattle offense that ranked 14th (17.7%) in the same category. "I would say it's unpredictable," QB Kyle Trask said of the new approach. "You don't know what you're going to get. We can come at you in different ways, then throw it over the top of your head. You just never know. You saw the success they had in Seattle [with Canales] with that philosophy, and I think you add our weapons into that, we could be very dangerous. I'm really excited to see how this plays out in the fall.” Baker Mayfield is the favorite to start Week 1. But we remain skeptical of his fantasy value outside of superflex leagues.
The Buccaneers have reached a one-year, $8.5 million deal with QB Baker Mayfield, according to multiple reports. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport had previously talked about the Bucs bringing in Mayfield to compete with former second-round pick Kyle Trask for the starting job. We'd bet on Mayfield winning that competition. But the contract shows that they're not banking on him as a starter. Taylor Heinicke, for example, got a two-year contract worth up to $10 million a year from the Falcons. Mayfield played his way out of Carolina after his Cleveland exit. He gained some praise for the brief Rams stint but compiled just 6.6 yards per pass attempt and a 3.1% TD rate there. Mayfield is far from a lock for any meaningful production going forward. But he's interesting as a QB3 pick late in best ball drafts right now, especially when paired with Tampa Bay WRs Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, or Russell Gage. Gage has been going especially late. So you can potentially pair him with Mayfield using just your final two picks. Not much risk at that point.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says trying to sign QB Baker Mayfield is "certainly going to be a priority" for the Buccaneers in free agency. Rapoport says that would set up a training-camp competition between Mayfield and Kyle Trask, but we'd certainly bet on Mayfield in that scenario. Mayfield is going very late in best ball ADP right now. So go ahead and toss him onto some rosters with WRs Chris Godwin and/or Mike Evans -- and/or Russell Gage. The Gage-Mayfield pairing, in particular, can be had over the final few rounds of your draft. That means very little risk.
Rams QB Baker Mayfield completed 24 of his 28 passes (85.7%) in Sunday's beatdown of the Broncos. He threw for 230 yards and 2 TDs, finding TE Tyler Higbee for both of them. Higbee (94) and Brycen Hopkins (57) combined for 65.7% of Mayfield's yards for the game. Week 17 holds a matchup with the Chargers, who have been a slightly negative scoring matchup for QBs and 8th-worst for TEs.
Rams QB Baker Mayfield completed 12 of 21 attempts for 111 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT in Sunday's loss vs. the Packers. Given how recently the former Panthers and Browns signal-caller arrived in Los Angeles, it is not surprising to see him and the Rams' offense continue to struggle. Mayfield is not on the fantasy radar in Week 16. The Broncos are a stout defense for fantasy purposes and rank as the 6th-toughest matchup for opposing QBs in adjusted fantasy points allowed in 2022. Mayfield is best left on the bench or on the waiver wire in season-long leagues.
Rams QBs John Wolford, Baker Mayfield and Bryce Perkins are active for tonight's game vs. the Raiders. It's unclear what the team's plan is at QB tonight, so we'd avoid the situation in all fantasy formats.
Rams QB John Wolford (neck) is a game-time decision for tonight's tilt vs. the Raiders, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. If Wolford can't go, QB Baker Mayfield would get the start, according to Schefter. Mayfield was just claimed by Los Angeles on Tuesday, so it's tough to imagine he has any level of comfort with HC Sean McVay's offense. Plus, of course, Mayfield was awful across 7 games for the Panthers this season. Hopefully you don't need to mess with any part of the Rams passing game in fantasy lineups tonight.
Rams QB John Wolford (neck) is questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Raiders. He got in limited practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. HC Sean McVay said Wednesday that QB Baker Mayfield will likely be active for this one, but we doubt he plays after just joining the team on Tuesday. QB Bryce Perkins figures to get the start if Wolford is out.
The Rams have claimed QB Baker Mayfield off waivers. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that he's expected to fly to L.A. today and "could play" Thursday night against the Raiders. We'll give Schefter benefit of the doubt here and assume that he's saying Mayfield could be on the active roster for that game. We'd be absolutely shocked if the Rams started Mayfield 2 days after claiming him -- especially given how poorly Mayfield played with the Panthers this season. Taking a shot on the former #1 overall pick certainly makes sense for L.A., which has likely lost QB Matthew Stafford for the season. QB John Wolford is also dealing with a neck issue that kept him out of practice Monday. We'd bet on Mayfield seeing the field at some point. The claim means the Rams must pay the remaining $1.35 million on Mayfield's contract, taking that off the books for the Panthers.
The Panthers are waiving QB Baker Mayfield, according to multiple reports. That makes him available to the whole league but subject to the waivers process before he can hit the open market. We'll see whether teams put in a claim, which would lock the "winning" team into paying his remaining salary. The timing could be perfect for Mayfield to make his way to the 49ers, who just lost their 2nd starting QB of the year when Jimmy Garoppolo broke his left foot Sunday. Of course, the way Mayfield performed in Carolina this season wouldn't be an upgrade over the way #3 QB Brock Purdy played Sunday against the Dolphins. San Francisco has also already re-signed veteran journeyman Josh Johnson.
The Panthers announced Tuesday that QB Sam Darnold will start Sunday's game against the Broncos. Darnold himself will be far from a real fantasy-lineup option for that matchup, and we're not sure he improves the outlook for the offense on whole. But a move away from Baker Mayfield can't be bad for D.J. Moore's target shares. Moore drew 27.2% of Panthers targets in the 11 games Darnold started last season. He has garnered just 22.6% target share in Mayfield's 5 starts this year.
Search
