Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Buccaneers LB Devin White (foot), CB Carlton Davis (toe), and DT Vita Vea (pectoral) are all active for today's game against the Saints. Use any as planned in your IDP lineups.

Buccaneers RB Chase Edmonds is having an MRI today on an MCL injury that knocked him out of Sunday's win over the Bears. Edmonds missing further time could only help rookie RB Sean Tucker, who already edged the vet in Week 1 playing time. Ke'Shawn Vaughn would likely find a role with Edmonds out as well. Rachaad White remained the clear lead back in Week 2.

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield threw for 317 yards and 1 TD in Sunday's win over the Bears. He went 26 of 34 passing (76.5%) at 9.3 yards per attempt. A 70-yarder to WR Mike Evans certainly didn't hurt those numbers. Week 3 holds a home date with the Eagles, who have allowed each of their first two opponents to top 350 yards passing. That's probably not going to push Mayfield into our top 12 QBs for Week 3. But he'll carry upside at least for superflex leagues.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans racked up 171 yards and caught the team's lone TD pass in Sunday's win over the Bears. Evans tied WR Chris Godwin for the target lead with eight, catching six of those. Godwin posted a 5-58 receiving line. TE Cade Otton added 6 receptions for 41 yards on 6 targets. The Bucs host Philly in Week 3, an opponent they're likely to trail and a defense with multiple injuries across the starting secondary. Expect Evans and Godwin to land well inside starter territory in our Week 3 rankings.

Buccaneers RB Rachaad White tallied 73 yards and a TD on 17 carries (4.3 per rush) in Sunday's win over the Bears. He added 5 receptions for 30 yards on 5 targets. White claimed 22 of 32 total RB opportunities for the Bucs (68.8%) and accounted for 84.4% of total RB yards in the game. Sean Tucker ranked second with 8 carries but managed just 7 yards. Chase Edmonds carried twice for 12 yards. White's role is the biggest thing going for him right now, but his Week 2 production was encouraging. Tampa Bay hosts Philly and then visits New Orleans before a Week 5 bye.

Buccaneers RB Rachaad White tallied 73 yards and a TD on 17 carries (4.3 per rush) in Sunday's win over the Bears. He added 5 receptions for 30 yards on 5 targets. White claimed 22 of 32 total RB opportunities for the Bucs (68.8%) and accounted for 84.4% of total RB yards in the game. Sean Tucker ranked second with 8 carries but managed just 7 yards. Chase Edmonds carried twice for 12 yards. White's role is the biggest thing going for him right now, but his Week 2 production was encouraging. Tampa Bay hosts Philly and then visits New Orleans before a Week 5 bye.

Bucs WR Mike Evans led the team with 10 targets, 6 grabs, and 66 yards in the opener. He scored one of Baker Mayfield’s two TDs on a 28-yard downfield pass. The Vikings matchup looked favorable on paper, and Evans delivered with 18.6 PPR points, a number he hit only three times in 2022. Recent reports indicate Evans will likely play elsewhere in 2024. But for now, fantasy owners should continue treating him as a solid WR3. Next up is another favorable matchup (vs. Chicago).

Bucs RB Rachaad White wasn’t productive in a Week 1 win over Minnesota, totaling only 49 yards. Yet his workload — 19 touches —should have fantasy owners encouraged. Backup Sean Tucker saw only 7 touches, while Chase Edmonds mixed in for just 2. White draws an improved Bears front seven in Week 2, but he'll likely stick on the RB2 radar.

Bucs OC Dave Canales recently called RB Rachaad White a "fantastic back." He added that there are a "bunch of good backs" behind White, referring the Sean Tucker, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, and Chase Edmonds. The conclusion here is that White enters the season as Tampa's clear backfield leader. Canales added, "I think there's more to learn about just how we use Rachaad on third down." White continues to look like a strong value in fantasy drafts -- and a RB2 with upside to open the year.

Per Bucs reporter JC Allen, RB Sean Tucker will open the season as the backup to Rachaad White. This was the expectation based on recent practice reports. White remains an RB2 fantasy target, while Tucker slides in as a late-round handcuff.

The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud writes that WR Trey Palmer "earned the No. 3 spot" following WR Russell Gage's season-ending injury. The rookie had a nice training camp and caught seven of eight targets for 91 yards and two TDs this preseason. Palmer struggled to get on the field at LSU but transferred to Nebraska last year and broke out for 71 catches, 1,043 yards, and nine TDs. Then he blazed a 4.33-second 40 time at the Combine. Palmer will likely need a Chris Godwin or Mike Evans injury to gain fantasy relevance this year. But he's a name to keep on your radar.

Sports Illustrated's Ben Meyerson recently reported that Buccaneers rookie RB Sean Tucker was splitting first-team reps with teammate Rachaad White. Meyerson quickly clarifies it was only during one drive but that it's "definitely something to monitor." The UDFA from Syracuse likely would've been a solid pick in the 2023 NFL Draft had it not been for a rumored heart condition. We mention this because Tucker, despite not being drafted, is a very talented player in a backfield without much depth behind White, the presumed starter. In addition to his rushing acumen, Tucker has some appeal as a pass-catcher. He ranked sixth in receiving market share (15.8%) among all Power 5 conference RBs in 2022 and could provide enough value as the RB2 in Tampa Bay to warrant late-round consideration in deeper leagues. See where these Bucs backs appear in our current RB rankings.

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles announced Tuesday that QB Baker Mayfield will be the starter. It's the news we've all been waiting for, and Mayfield's projection has sat well ahead of Kyle Trask's ever since our fantasy football rankings came out. Mayfield, of course, played his way into getting replaced by Deshaun Watson in Cleveland and then played his way out of Carolina in just part of 2022. Although the former No. 1 overall pick has also flashed positively at times, it's tough to get excited about him. Let's hope he can at least do enough to support the weekly fantasy values of WRs Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and RB Rachaad White. Trask remains a decent stash for superflex and dynasty rosters, in case Mayfield plays his way out of another starting gig.

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 rookie Sean Tucker is “a bit behind” the team’s other RBs in terms of learning the offense, per beat writer Scott Reynolds. Tucker missed the entire offseason program because of a heart issue, and for now, he appears no higher than fourth on the depth chart. Reynolds calls Ke’Shawn Vaughn the current No. 2 back behind Rachaad White, with Chase Edmonds “coming on strong" at camp.

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.

Buccaneers rookie DT Calijah Kancey is expected to miss four weeks after straining his right calf. That would cost the first-round pick all three preseason games but give him a shot at being ready for the opener. We wouldn't bet on Kancey getting near full playing time early under that scenario. The rookie already sat low in our 2023 IDP rankings. We'll keep an eye on his status upon his return from this injury.

The Bucs see "star potential" in RB Rachaad White, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes. "Not only will he get a heavy workload rushing, but the Bucs have been expanding his route tree, believing he can inflict damage as a receiver," Fowler adds. We have little doubt that White can excel as a receiver. He looked like the best pass-catching RB in the 2022 draft class and then caught 50 balls as a rookie. The bigger question is whether White can get it done on the ground after an underwhelming 2022 in that department. But it sounds like the Bucs plan on giving him every chance to prove himself. White sits well ahead of ADP in our fantasy football rankings.