Fantasy Football: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season Preview
By Bruce Matson
Fantasy Football: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season Preview
The Buccaneers finished last season with a 2-14 record where they placed 4th in the NFC South Division. Despite being in the middle of a rebuilding process the Buccaneers have some players that could be assets in fantasy. Mike Evans broke out last season as a rookie, and he is looking to team up with rookie quarterback Jameis Winston to have another successful season. The Buccaneers will be a fun team to watch, because they have a lot of young players with a lot of upside.
Quarterback
The Buccaneers selected Winston #1 overall during this year’s NFL Draft, and he’s going to be their starting quarterback as a rookie. I don’t recommend drafting Winston, but he’s going to be a solid stream during favorable match-ups.
Running Backs
Sims ranked 75th among Running backs in fantasy production with 62 fantasy points on the year averaging 7.75 points per game. Sims had 1 game where he scored 10 fantasy points or more. Sims missed 8 games last season due to an ankle injury. He will be fighting Doug Martin to start at running back this season. Sims is one of the best pass catching running backs in the league, so he’s going to be more valuable in PPR leagues. If Sims wins the job he will more than likely be a RB2 in fantasy.
Martin finished last season ranked 56th among running backs in fantasy production with 80.80 fantasy points on the year averaging 7.35 fantasy points per game. Martin had 4 games where he scored 10 fantasy points or more. It’s been a few years since Martin’s rookie year where he blew up and was one of the top assets in fantasy. Martin appears to be washed up, and there’s a chance he could be playing 2nd fiddle to Charles Sims if he doesn’t become more effective. Can Martin out play Charles Sims for the starting running back job?
Put both of these running backs on your watch list, because they are both talented. Rainey and James could be fantasy relevant if they are given the opportunity to start during the season.
Wide Receiver
Evans finished last season ranked 13th among wide receivers with 251.10 fantasy points, while averaging 16.74 fantasy points per game. Evans had 10 games where he scored 10 fantasy points or more and he had 4 games where he scored 20 fantasy points or more. Evans is an emerging wide receiver. Evans is either going to develop into a stud this season or he is going to have a little bit of a regression. Evans is going into the 2nd round of fantasy drafts, and there’s a chance that he may not give you 2nd round value, but I don’t think he can be a total bust unless he gets injured. The risk that Evans carries this season is that he may not be productive enough to warrant his selection in the draft, but his floor is very high and he will at least give you WR2-WR3 results and not be a total dud for your team. I like Evans and I’m looking to draft him on a lot of my teams.
Jackson ranked 32nd among wide receivers in fantasy production with 186.20 fantasy points while averaging 11.63 points per game. Jackson had 9 games where he scored 10 fantasy points or more and he had 2 games where he scored 20 fantasy points or more. Jackson is going in the 5th round of fantasy drafts (ESPN ADP 66.8). I can see him falling further in some drafts, and I think he’s going to be a value in fantasy this season because he’s going to be a solid flex play during most weeks.
Tight End
Jenkins is going to be a wild card because he is very talented and could break out this season. On the other hand he is still learning how to play tight end at the NFL level, so he could be a total bust this season when it comes to fantasy production. I’m not drafting ASJ in re-draft leagues, but I’m going to monitor his usage and his efficiency during the first couple weeks of the season. Keep him on your watch list and make sure to have his name underlined. Even if he doesn’t break out this season he is going to be a good match up play if you like to stream your tight ends.
Defense/Special Teams
The Buccaneers defense ranked 24th in fantasy production with 75 fantasy points on the year. They had 2 games where they scored 10 fantasy points or more. The Buccaneers are not worth drafting, and they are only worth streaming this season if they are playing a team whose offense is facing extreme injuries, like starting their 3rd string quarterback.
Need help making roster decisions? Need help on who to pick off the waiver wire? Need an opinion on that trade offer that’s in your inbox? I’m your guy, follow me on Twitter @bmatz08, and I’ll give you the guidance you need to make the best choice for your fantasy team.