QB Baker Mayfield
(2025 QB Rank: 19, 17.4 FPts/G)
This time last year, Baker Mayfield was ranked as a top-10 fantasy
quarterback. His 2024 numbers made that a no-brainer. He posted
career highs in passing yards (4,500), passing TDs (41), and yards
per attempt (7.9). However, those who drafted him as their QB1
got the Mayfield of old -- a slightly above-average fantasy QB
who can be serviceable against the right opponent.
His 2025 numbers (3,693 yards, 26 TDs, 11 INTs) were more in
line with who he has been throughout his career as a fantasy option:
serviceable, but nothing eye-popping. What's even more revealing
is that he didn't do much when it mattered most. Over the final
eight games of the season, he recorded only two games with multiple
touchdown passes.
The 2026 season arrives with a slightly altered supporting cast.
Future Hall of Famer Mike Evans is now in San Francisco, and few
quarterbacks can claim their receiving corps is stronger without
him. In the seven games Mayfield played without Evans last season,
he threw just nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
Mayfield's current ADP as a mid- to low-end QB2 feels appropriate.
Going with one of the elite quarterbacks and waiting to back them
up with Mayfield isn't the worst strategy. But blessings to you
if you have to rely on him for any significant stretch of the
season.
RB Bucky Irving
(2025 RB Rank: 18, 12.6 FPts/G)
Bucky Irving's competition for touches from last season, Rachaad
White, is now in Washington. But that doesn't mean Irving is in
the clear to receive the bulk of the carries. In fact, he may
face even stiffer competition in 2026.
Enter Kenneth Gainwell -- a player small in stature but big on
carving out a niche role, as he did during previous stops in Philadelphia
and Pittsburgh. We should expect a similar presence in Tampa this
year, which could be enough to place a hard ceiling on Irving's
potential.
Irving missed time last season with a shoulder injury, limiting
him to just one rushing touchdown, though he supplemented that
modest total with three receiving scores. Another concern is the
possibility of losing goal-line touches to Sean Tucker.
The low-end RB2 ranking Irving carries into 2026 feels optimistic.
Perhaps fantasy managers remember his solid production from 2024
and how he emerged as a receiving threat early in 2025. But there
are enough workload and off-field questions here to give me pause
about selecting him as my RB2. Buyer beware.
RB Kenneth Gainwell
(2025 RB Rank: 26, 11.0 FPts/G)
Kenneth Gainwell arrives in Tampa Bay with a chance to carve
out a meaningful role in the offense. He’ll be hard pressed to
duplicate his receiving work last season (73-486-3) as Aaron Rodgers
loves to target RBs out of the backfield. While he's never been
the type of back who commands 20 touches per game, he has consistently
found ways to stay involved thanks to his versatility as both
a runner and receiver.
The challenge for Gainwell is obvious: Bucky Irving remains the
favorite to lead this backfield in touches, and Sean
Tucker could siphon off some of the short-yardage and goal-line
work. That leaves Gainwell competing for passing-down snaps and
change-of-pace opportunities. Fortunately for him, that's exactly
the role he's made a career out of.
Fantasy managers shouldn't draft Gainwell expecting a breakout
season. The path to weekly starter value likely requires an injury
ahead of him on the depth chart. However, he has enough standalone
value in PPR formats to make him a mid-round selection. We've
seen him produce when given opportunities, and Tampa Bay didn't
bring him in simply to stand on the sideline.
At his current price, Gainwell is the type of dart throw I don't
mind taking. The ceiling may not be especially high, but he's
one of those players who can quietly become relevant if the circumstances
break his way. Those aren't the worst lottery tickets to stash
at the end of your bench.
WR Chris Godwin
(2025 WR Rank: 59, 7.2 FPts/G)
Full disclosure: Chris Godwin has been one of my favorite fantasy
receivers for a long time. Maybe it goes back to when I took a
flyer on him as my WR3 in 2019 and he ended up delivering the
best season of his career. He has yet to match those career-best
totals in the six seasons since, but I still find myself rooting
for him.
That said, the accumulating injuries may have finally caught
up to him. He's played in just 16 games combined over the past
two seasons and has fewer than 1,000 receiving yards during that
span.
However, Mike Evans' departure could open up more opportunities
for the 30-year-old Penn State product. Godwin has never been
a true downfield threat -- his yards per reception have steadily
declined since his rookie season -- but that could translate into
a high-volume role in the intermediate passing game.
Godwin can still serve a purpose on a fantasy roster, but it
has to be the right role. His inconsistency can be detrimental
to your lineup, and his availability remains a concern. Still,
we've never seen Godwin play a full season on a team without Mike
Evans. If he can stay healthy through a 17-game campaign, he could
surprise. Just keep your expectations realistic.
WR Emeka Egbuka
(2025 WR Rank: 33, 9.5 FPts/G)
Last season in this space,
I suggested taking a flyer on Emeka Egbuka in case one of the
veterans ahead of him suffered an injury. Well, Egbuka finished
2025 as the team leader in targets (127), receptions (63), receiving
yards (938), and receiving touchdowns (6).
And we all remember where he stood after the first five games
of his NFL career: 25 receptions, 445 yards, and five touchdowns
while looking like one of the best young receivers in football.
We also remember what happened over the final 12 games, when he
scored a grand total of one receiving touchdown.
The apparent rookie wall he ran into last season coupled with
a hamstring injury has created a nice discount for his 2026 fantasy
value. He's currently being drafted as a low-end WR2, but I think
he has the potential to flirt with high-end WR2 or even low-end
WR1 production.
And if he can recapture the magic from the first month of his
rookie campaign, watch out.
TE Cade Otton
(2025 TE Rank: 32, 5.8 FPts/G)
Cade Otton is essentially a non-factor in fantasy football. He's
reliable in terms of availability -- missing only four games over
the last two seasons -- but it's difficult to count on consistent
production.
Otton did have a nice three-game stretch in 2024 when he posted
25 receptions, 258 yards, and three touchdowns. However, counting
on the 27-year-old for anything more than a bye-week fill-in in
non-TE-premium leagues is fool's gold.
Keep him on your waiver wire, but as always, monitor his production
in case a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency scenario arises.
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