Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield had a tough fall from grace in 2025 as the QB17 in fantasy points per game after a wondrous QB4 campaign in 2024. Mayfield dealt with injuries to his receiver room and his offensive line while also struggling with injuries himself. In 2025, Mayfield had a bruised and battered throwing arm while also suffering a sprained MCL/PCL, a bicep tendon strain, and left shoulder issues. Among 38 qualifying quarterbacks, he was 24th in yards per attempt, 35th in adjusted completion rate, 22nd in catchable target rate, and 11th-worst in turnover-worthy throw rate (per Fantasy Points Data). Assuming Mayfield sees better health in 2026, he should enjoy a bounce-back season. Yes, Mike Evans is gone, but Mayfield still has a deep cupboard of skilled receivers to toss to this season. His rushing production over the last two seasons (at least 378 rushing yards each year) has also been a nice bump to his fantasy ceiling and floor. I don't expect that to go away. Mayfield could easily be a top 12 fantasy quarterback in 2026 that you're drafting as a mid-range QB2.

Baker Mayfield is expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Fantasy Impact

Mayfield was held out of Tampa Bay's first preseason game last week, but it looks like he is going to suit up and play in Saturday's preseason matchup against the Chiefs. It remains to be seen how many snaps the team will let him play, but it remains unlikely that he will see the field for much more than a quarter of the game.