2026 Team Outlook: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

16. RB Bucky Irving, TB - Quality Backup

Irving entered the NFL with below-average speed for the position (4.55 in the 40) and a smaller frame (5'9" and 190 pounds). Pass protection projects as a weak spot, and he'll need to sharpen his vision and patience to handle the tighter running lanes Irving will face at the next level. On the plus side, he breaks tackles well and has enough wiggle to make defenders miss in open space. His question is how Tampa Bay balances his role as a change-of-pace back. The Buccaneers added Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 draft as depth at the position. He began his college career at Minnesota (133 carries for 699 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman, plus eight catches for 73 yards), then transferred to Oregon, where his role expanded significantly over two seasons (2,950 combined yards, 21 touchdowns, and 87 catches on 429 total touches). The Ducks used him more as a complete back in 2023, when Irving caught 56 passes for 413 yards and two scores, while also rushing effectively in both 2022 (156/1,058/5) and 2023 (186/1,180/11). Watching his tape, Irving stands out as a player who manufactures something out of nothing. He has a knack for salvaging plays that look dead in the backfield. The Bucs' rising back runs with his eyes up, always looking to either juke a defender or finish through contact. In the open field at the second level, Irving has a real feel for getting defenders off-balance, reminiscent of a young Shaun Alexander. The one thing missing is the long speed to fully cash in once he hits a clean lane.

Tampa Bay used him in a complementary RB2 role for 11 of his 18 games before handing him their lead role over the final four weeks. Irving finished the season with 254 total touches, producing 1,514 combined yards, eight touchdowns, and 47 receptions. He broke off 11 plays of 20-plus yards, four of which went for 40 or more. His three 100-yard rushing games (25/152/1, 15/117, and 20/113) all came in the final six weeks of the season. A back injury forced him out of Week 14 after just 16 snaps, but excluding that game, Irving averaged 21 touches per outing from Week 12 through Week 19, producing 141.90 fantasy points over that stretch, a strong 20.27 points per game. Over his first four games in 2025, Tampa gave Irving 22.5 touches per game and about 71% of the Bucs' running back snaps, leading to him gaining 430 combined yards with two touchdowns and 19 catches (18.50 PPR fantasy points per game) despite gaining only 3.3 yards per carry. Unfortunately, foot and shoulder injuries sidelined him for seven games. His season ended with two productive fantasy games (16.10 and 16.10). Across his 173 rushes, Irving scored only one touchdown on the ground while losing 2.0 yards per carry from 2024. His explosiveness was still shining in the passing game (30/277/3 – 9.2 yards per catch). Fantasy Outlook: Irving had shoulder surgery (dislocation) in February, which suggests he may not be ready for Week 1. His health concerns and readiness for the 2026 season created a lower ADP (65) and running back ranking (25th) in mid-June in the National Fantasy Football Championship. The Buccaneers added Kenneth Gainwell in March. Potential value, while also having some playing time risk if his shoulder recovery lingers into September.

16. WR Emeka Egbuka, TB - Solid/Safe Pick

Egbuka was a top-two target in Ohio State's passing attack twice over the past three seasons, posting 74 catches for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns in one campaign and 81 catches for 1,011 yards and 10 scores in another. An ankle injury cost him three games in 2023, leading to a down year by comparison (41/515/4). He also carried the ball 24 times in his college career, picking up 145 yards and two touchdowns. His big-game production was front-loaded, with six 100-yard receiving outings in 2022 (4/118/1, 7/116/1, 6/118/2, 5/143/1, 9/125/1, and 8/112/1) but just one such game in 2024 (5/117/1). Year WRC SPT WYD YD% YC TGT TD 2025 211 0.601 2625 0.70 12.44 362 19 2024 226 0.554 2799 0.62 12.38 335 26 2023 226 0.621 2892 0.72 12.80 373 20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Egbuka profiles as a slot-oriented receiver whose game is built more on timing and rhythm than elite burst out of his breaks. He projects as a reliable possession target with strong ball skills in crowded areas, but press coverage at the line could give him trouble at the next level. Playing behind a talented Ohio State offense often meant defenses couldn't focus solely on Egbuka, which let him work into soft spots over the middle of the field. He shows natural instincts for finding open grass and reliable hands once the ball arrives. Downfield opportunities have been limited in his profile, and Egbuka's expected to run in the neighborhood of a 4.5-second 40 — solid, but not a standout number. Over his first five games, Egbuka delivered starting fantasy stats (4/76/1, 4/29/1, 6/85, 4/101/1, and 7/163/1), leading to 20.08 PPR fantasy points per game and him gaining 17.8 yards per catch. The Bucs tried to get him the ball over his next eight games (72 targets – nine per game), but he caught only 29 of his chances (40.3%) for 361 yards and one touchdown (8.89 FPPG). Egbuka continued to fade over his final four matchups (4/64, 1/40, 3/20, and 1/8 on 18 targets). Fantasy Outlook: Egbuka finished last year as the Buccaneers’ top wide receiver (195.70 PPR fantasy points – 23rd), but the end of his year doesn’t inspire confidence in his ceiling. In the National Fantasy Football Championship in mid-June, he ranks 12th at wide receiver with a swing 2/3 turn ADP (25). His next step should be 80 catches for 1,100 yards with about seven touchdowns.

18. QB Baker Mayfield, TB - Quality Backup

Mayfield's stint with Carolina got off to a losing start in 2022. Through his first five starts, he threw for 962 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions, while completing just 54.9% of his passes. An ankle injury in mid-October sidelined him for two games, and after two more uninspiring outings upon his return (155 yards/2 TD and 196 yards/0 TD), the Panthers cut him loose. Teams RATT YDS Run% ATT YDS Pass% Plays Yards Tampa Bay Buccaneers 472 1947 0.458 558 3755 0.542 1030 5702

He landed in Los Angeles later in the year, where an injured Matthew Stafford opened the door to five starts down the stretch for the Rams. The results were similarly underwhelming (82-of-129 passing for 850 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions), and his 6.5 yards per attempt marked a career low. Mayfield did add 89 rushing yards and a score on 31 carries, but his rushing impact has generally been minimal throughout his career (189 carries for 660 yards and 6 touchdowns). Everything changed in his first season in Tampa Bay in 2023. Mayfield set career highs across the board (364 completions, 566 attempts, 4,044 passing yards, and 29 touchdowns), while also posting his best- ever completion rate (64.3%). The Buccaneers locked him up that March with a three-year, $100 million deal. He topped 300 passing yards in three regular-season games (317/1, 381/4, and 309/4) and leaned heavily on his arm in the playoffs (337/3 and 349/3), finishing 10th among quarterbacks in fantasy scoring (328.00 points) in four- point-per-touchdown formats. In 2024, Mayfield took it even further. He broke his own career highs yet again with 407 completions, 570 attempts, 4,500 passing yards, and 41 touchdowns, and his rushing production (60 carries for 378 yards and three scores) was easily the best of his career. After a dominant Week 1 (310/4), he hit a stretch where Mayfield passed for under 190 yards in three of his next four games, yet still managed six touchdowns across that span. Tampa Bay's passing attack eclipsed 300 yards six times on the season (347/2, 325/4, 370/3, 330/3, 303/2, and 359/5), and Mayfield delivered at least two touchdown passes in 14 of his 18 starts. He finished third at quarterback (428.80 fantasy points) in four-point passing touchdown formats. Mayfield took a beating last year, leading to him playing through biceps, knee, and shoulder issues. He posted more than two touchdowns in only two games (206/3 and 273/3). Over his first seven starts, Mayfield

averaged 22.34 fantasy points in four-point passing touchdown formats, worthy of a top 5 quarterback. He ended up being a lost fantasy start over his last 10 starts (193 passing yards per game with 13 combined touchdowns), which included an early exit in Week 12. Fantasy Outlook: Tampa parted ways with Mike Evans over the winter, leaving the Bucs’ passing game in the hands of a younger corps of receivers. A healthy Bucky Irving is critical for Mayfield to drive the ball better in 2026. In mid-June, in the National Fantasy Football Championship, he ranks 17th at quarterback with a 10th-round ADP (146). Ultimately, Mayfield had only once been a fantasy edge. I trust a run at 4,000 passing yards, but he’s only had over 30 touchdowns once (44 in 2024) in his nine years in the NFL, so think of him as a steady game manager with some matchup value.

22. PK Chase McLaughlin, TB - Deep-league Only

McLaughlin bounced around the league early, kicking for five different teams in 2019 and 2020, before settling in for 32 starts with Cleveland

and Indianapolis in 2021 and 2022. He heads into 2026 riding three strong seasons in Tampa Bay, where he's connected on 91 of 101 field goal attempts (90.1%). Over the past five years, he's hit 39 of 46 attempts from 50-plus yards (going 26-for-30 in that range during his Bucs tenure), and he's nearly automatic on extra points, converting 176 of 180. Fantasy Outlook: Tampa Bay's offense produced 41 touchdowns and generated 38 field goal tries for McLaughlin in 2025, which was enough to push him to 7th among kickers in fantasy scoring (169.40 points), with eight of his 17 games reaching double-digit fantasy production. As of mid-June, he's ranked 10th at the position, a slight dip from 9th a year ago. Given his proven reliability from long distance and an offense that should bounce back in scoring this season, McLaughlin looks like a solid bet to deliver another top-10 finish among kickers.

23. TE Cade Otton, TB - Sleeper (undervalued)

Otton's college production was modest across four seasons, totaling 91 catches for 1,026 yards and nine touchdowns on 124 targets, with his best individual season coming as a sophomore (32/344/2). Tampa Bay selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. He saw a significant rookie-year role, playing 66.5% of Tampa Bay's offensive snaps. He converted 42 of 65 targets into 391 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 9.3 yards per catch, with his best stretches coming in four games (6/43, 4/64, 5/68/1, and 6/28/1). A personal matter kept him out of Week 2. His 2023 season showed some growth (47 catches for 455 yards and four touchdowns on 67 targets), but his catch rate did improve to 70.1%. His yards per catch barely moved, ticking up to 9.7 from 9.3. His best Year TRC SPT TYD YD% YC TGT TD 2025 61 0.174 589 0.16 9.66 86 2 2024 75 0.184 803 0.18 10.71 107 7 2023 56 0.154 514 0.13 9.18 83 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

fantasy showings came in Week 9 (6/70/2) and in the playoffs (8/89 and 5/65/1), with all three of those games featuring heavy target shares (9, 11, and 8). Otton set new career highs for the second straight year in catches (59), receiving yards (600), and targets (87), even though a left knee injury ended his 2024 season three games early. His production spiked midseason, with a three-game stretch (8/100, 9/81/2, and 8/77/1) coinciding with Chris Godwin's injury, during which he commanded 31 targets across those three contests (10, 10, and 11). Otton finished the year 14th among tight ends in PPR scoring (142.00 points), even with seven games producing fewer than 8.00 fantasy points (1/5, 0/0, 3/44, 1/30, 4/20, 2/24, and 2/32). Despite missing only one game last season with a knee issue, the Bucs phased Otton out of their receiving rotation in most games. He finished with 59 catches for 572 yards and one score on 81 targets (22nd in PPR fantasy points – 122.20), with only five playable outcomes (4/81, 5/51, 7/65, 9/82, and 7/94/1). His lone score came in Week 18. Otton had five targets or fewer in 11 matchups. Fantasy Outlook: The Buccaneers have talent at wide receiver, and they will move the ball via the pass with their running backs. Otton is the 33rd-ranked tight end in mid-June in the high-stakes market. He brings sneaky upside at times, but his results tend to be challenging to time in the fantasy market. Otton should have a floor of a 50/600/5 player if on the field for 17 games.

35. WR Chris Godwin, TB - Quality Backup

Godwin's touchdown production (15 over 41 games) ran lower than expected during his run alongside Tom Brady. In 2022, he set career highs in catches (104) and targets (142), but his receiving yards (1,023) didn't keep pace with his usual output, largely because his per-catch average dipped to 9.8. His best stretch came late in the season, from Week 10 through Week 17, during which Godwin posted 56 catches for

564 yards and three touchdowns on 70 targets over seven starts, including four standout games (6/71/1, 12/110/1, 8/83/1, and 9/120). A hamstring injury had cost him two games earlier in the year. 2023 was a tougher season overall; just two touchdowns limited his ceiling and made his weekly floor shakier than usual. Godwin still cracked 1,000 receiving yards for the third straight year (the fourth time in his career), but his catch rate fell to 63.8%, well below his typical range of the previous four seasons (71.1, 77.4, 76.6, and 73.2). There was a silver lining. His yards per catch rebounded to 12.3, up from 9.8 the year before. Godwin topped 100 yards twice (8/114 and 10/155) and cleared 15.00 fantasy points in two other games (5/68/1 and 3/81/1). 2024 started off promising, as Tampa Bay leaned on him heavily through the first seven games, producing 50 catches for 576 yards and five touchdowns on 62 targets, a pace that, if sustained, would have set career highs across the board, fueled by three big games (8/83/1, 7/117/1, and 11/125/2). Unfortunately, a season-ending ankle injury in Week 7 cut that momentum short. Godwin suited up for only two games (3/26 and 3/26 on 14 targets) over his first 11 weeks last season due to a foot injury, followed by a broken leg. Over his final seven starts, he scored over 10.00 fantasy points in four contests (3/78, 5/55, 4/20/1, and 7/108/1). Fantasy Outlook: Tampa Bay showed its confidence in Godwin in March by signing him to a three-year contract for $66 million. His experience and the loss of Mike Evans should lead to WR1 targets, but scoring should remain a weaker part of his fantasy equation. His 2026 price point (WR39) looks favorable in the National Fantasy Football Championship. Possible 90 catches for 1,100 yards and five scores, painting a WR2 fantasy picture.