Fantasy Football Player Notes

What a rookie season Bucky Irving had. Not only did he average 5.4 yards per carry, but he averaged 3.93 yards after contact per carry -- the most among all running backs with 60 or more rushing attempts. Irving forced 62 missed tackles last year, which ranked eighth, and all the running backs who forced more missed tackles last year had more carries than Irving. There were seven games in which Irving played more than half of the Buccaneers' offensive snaps, including their one playoff game, and in those seven games he averaged 127.3 yards from scrimmage per game and scored six touchdowns. Irving displaced Rachaad White as the Bucs' lead RB down the stretch last season and should continue to hold that job. Invest with confidence.

Evans topped the 1,000-yard mark for an 11th consecutive season, keeping the streak alive by crossing the 1,000-yard threshold late in the Buccaneers' final regular-season game. Evans averaged only 51.7 yards over his first six games and had seven or fewer targets in five of those contests. Then, he injured his hamstring in Week 7 and missed three games. But Evans caught fire upon his return. With fellow WR out for the year with a dislocated ankle, Evans averaged 6.9 receptions and 95.6 yards over his final seven games. Evans has been one of the safest bets in fantasy football for years. He's entering his age-32 season, but he's aging gracefully.

Baker Mayfield was at the height of his powers in 2024, establishing new career highs in passing yardage (4,500), touchdown passes (41), completion percentage (71.4%), yards per attempt (7.9) and rushing yardage (378). Mayfield tied Joe Burrow for QB3 in both total fantasy scoring and fantasy points per game (22.5) behind only Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. It's probably wise to expect some statistical regression from Mayfield, and it's possible the Buccaneers' offense is less effective this year, with 2024 offensive coordinator Liam Coen having left to take the Jacksonville head coaching job, and the relatively inexperienced Josh Grizzard taking over at OC. But Mayfield has clearly turned a corner in his career, he has a strong offensive line in front of him, and he has a deep, talented group of pass catchers that includes WRs Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka.

At the beginning of the offseason, Emeka Egbuka looked like this year's Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Rome Odunze. The talented first-round selection in the NFL draft found himself in a squeeze for target volume immediately with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but as we have progressed through the offseason and camp, the pathway has become clearer for Egbuka to step up in a big way in year one. Godwin's health issues are much more complicated than originally anticipated, and he might not be at 100% til the mid-point of the 2025 season. Jalen McMillan sustained a neck injury in the preseason that has also called his availability for a large chunk of this season into question (he could be out until their bye in Week 9). Egbuka looks like he could be the clear WR2 for the Bucs for most of the season, if not all of it. Egbuka has the talent to step up immediately and be a wonderful contributor for Fantasy GMs. In two of Egbuka's final three collegiate seasons, he ranked inside the top 40 FBS wide receivers in yards per route run (38th, 11th) and top 20 in receiving grade (19th, 12th) and yards after the catch (16th, 12th). He's best viewed as a strong WR3 who could easily be producing as a WR2 this season.

Chris Godwin was WR1 in PPR scoring through the first six weeks of the 2024 season. But Godwin hasn't fully recovered from the dislocated ankle and fractured fibula he sustained in the middle of last season, and the Buccaneers have since added first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, who, like Godwin, does his best work in the slot. With the likelihood of increased target competition and the possibility that Godwin won't be at 100% capacity this season post-injury, it might be worth pumping the brakes in 2025 fantasy drafts even though Godwin is a trusted brand name.

After a triumphant 2023 season in which he had 1,539 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns, finishing RB4 in PPR fantasy scoring, Rachaad White lost his lead-RB job to Bucky Irving in 2024. White was still a useful contributor who caught 51 passes, had 1,006 yards from scrimmage and scored nine touchdowns. But Irving was sensational, and White played fewer than 40% of the offensive snaps in the Buccaneers' last two regular-season games and their one playoff game. White is a worthwhile handcuff, and his pass-catching ability might give him a tiny bit of stand-alone value in PPR leagues, but he's now mostly just a later-round depth piece.

When Buccaneers WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin sustained injuries in a Week 7 loss to the Ravens last year, TE Cade Otton stepped up in a big way, catching 30-of-39 targets for 293 yards and three touchdowns over a four game stretch that began with that game against Baltimore. But in Otton's other 10 games, he had 29 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown. With Evans healthy, first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka joining the WR room, and Godwin eventually returning to action, there would seem to be little opportunity for the 26-year-old Otton to make much of a fantasy impact this year. Otton is also dealing with a leg injury and could miss time early in the season.

Chase McLaughlin is a safe top-12 fantasy kicker for 2025. Last year, he was the K8 in fantasy points per game while ranking third-best in percentage of field goals made (93.8%). The Bucs offense should be among the league's best again in 2025, which should give him plenty of field goal opportunities.

Jalen McMillan started slowly in his rookie season but came on down the stretch. In Weeks 14-18, he was the WR11 in fantasy points per game, spiking seven touchdowns. During those five games, he had an 18.4% target share, 63.2 receiving yards per game, 2.09 yards per route run, a 22.9% first-read share, and 0.099 first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Outside of the insane touchdown production, McMillan's efficiency stats were all nice. Unfortunately for him, the Bucs felt the need to further upgrade their wide receiver room despite his stretch performance with their selection of Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin's return. McMillan has been pushed into the WR4 role, and his neck injury in the preseason could hold him out until after their bye week this season (Week 9). He's a last-round pick in your drafts only if you have an IR spot to stash him with, but he's best left on the waiver wire this year in most leagues.

The Bucs could easily be a top 12 fantasy defense in 2025 if their secondary can have a better season than last and their pass rush remains top shelf. Last year, Tampa Bay ranked sixth-best in sacks and ninth-best in pressure rate while giving up the fourth-most passing yards and tenth-most passing touchdowns. The offseason additions of Haason Reddick, Jacob Parrish, and Benjamin Morrison should help their pass defense in a multitude of ways.