Team Profile
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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6.5% 13thOff DVOA
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53.9% 5thPassing DVOA
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-35.6% 29thRushing DVOA
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-2% 13thDef DVOA
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-1.2% 13thDef Passing DVOA
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-3.2% 18thDef Rushing DVOA
2024 Team Stats
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Points For28.5 4th
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Points Against18.0 7th
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Yards Per Game304.0 19th
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Yards Allowed Per Game381.0 28th
When asked about his confidence level in quarterback Baker Mayfield returning to the team in 2024, new Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen said, "higher than I probably need to be. I want him to be here. It's probably more want than know. He's obviously a reason that I'm here... I think he wants to be here." Mayfield had a career year in Tampa in 2023, setting career-highs in passing yards (4,044), completion percentage (64.3) and touchdown passes (28) while throwing 10 interceptions in 17 regular-season games. He even led the team to a wild-card playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The 28-year-old will be a free agent this coming March, but there's mutual interest from both sides in a reunion. At best, Mayfield will be a high-end QB2 in fantasy next year if Mike Evans also re-signs in free agency.
New Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen said that he sees wide receiver Chris Godwin moving back inside into the slot position in 2024. The Buccaneers got away from that last year with the thought that it may preserve him from a health standpoint. Godwin saw much less time in the slot in 2023 compared to the previous year, but the 27-year-old pass-catcher was still targeted a fair amount (130 times) by quarterback Baker Mayfield. Godwin just wasn't very efficient and finished with career-low averages of 4.9 receptions per game and 60.2 receiving yards per game. It may be slightly worse for Godwin's health, but a return to the slot should be good news overall for his fantasy value, especially if Mike Evans doesn't return in free agency.
Despite offensive coordinator Dave Canales' departure to become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still expected to pursue a contract extension as quarterback Baker Mayfield enters free agency in 2024, according to a league source. Mayfield is coming off his best season in the NFL, completing 64.3 percent of his passes for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while leading the team to the playoffs in his first year in Tampa. Hiring Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen as Canales' replacement could help with retaining Mayfield, as the two overlapped late in the 2022 season with the Rams. Either way, Mayfield is going to be playing for his seventh different offensive coordinator in his seventh NFL season in 2024.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has enjoyed a phenomenal career with the organization so far, compiling 762 receptions for 11,680 yards and 94 touchdowns in 10 seasons. He has never produced fewer than 1,000 yards during his decade in Tampa and he wants to remain with the franchise that selected him in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. "I've been on record saying how much I love this place and how much I want to be here," Evans said on Sunday. "Not a lot of guys finish with one team, so that will be amazing if I get to do that but, you know, we'll see. I'm still trying to get over this loss." Evans' season finished with a 31-23 loss to the Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round. He caught eight passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in that game. Needless to say, he's still a great wide receiver, but it remains to be seen if the Buccaneers will offer him a deal that he will agree to. He can enter free agency this offseason. Whether he's in Tampa Bay or somewhere else next year, he'll remain firmly on the fantasy football radar for his 11th NFL campaign.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton was quiet throughout most of the regular season. He was a distant third option in the passing game but came alive in the postseason. On Sunday, Otton hauled in five of eight targets for 65 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Detroit Lions. In two postseason games, Otton caught 13 of 19 targets for 155 yards and a score. It was a nice showing for the young tight end during the postseason. Otton will likely enter the 2024 season as the No.1 tight end, but that doesn't guarantee he'll be a viable fantasy option.