Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fantasy Football Team Preview for the 26/27 Season

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    The Buccs had a nigthmare season that didn’t even start in Week 1.  Jalen McMillan got hurt in the preseason and essentially missed the entire season.  Baker Mayfield gutted through multiple injuries, Bucky Irving missed a big chunk in the middle of the season.  Mike Evans and Chris Godwin got hurt and even the o-line was banged up.  They scored the second-most points in franchise history two seasons ago (502) and only 380 last season.  That meant they were 18th in PPG and 17th or worse in FPPG at every skill position except for WR (8th).  Barring a catastrophic injury to Baker, I think we have seen the floor and ceiling for the Buccs in successive seasons.  All that really matters is what’s coming down the pipe now.  Evans is gone, Irving has help with Kenneth Gainwell and Chris Godwin is on his last leg.  The o-line should be solid if not a top-10 unit and the running game should bounce-back after being 26th in YPC (4.1).  The Irving sophomore letdown season was the talk of the season as he went from the RB13 to the RB34 and also saw his YPC drop two yards.  The craziest part of Irving’s season is he only had one rushing TD.  He’s going as a top-50 this season and the upside is clear, but Gainwell will handle the receiving for a team that only targeted RBs 17% of the time.  Sean Tucker might also vulture some goal-line carries, so while Irving will be better, it remains to be seen if he has top-10 upside.

    Irving might be the engine, but Baker is the soul of this team and his fall of from 41 passing TDs to 26 says it all.  The other telling stat is that his completion percentage fell from 71.4% in 2024 to 63.2% in 2025. He went from 7.9 yards per pass attempt in 2024 to 6.8 yards per attempt in 2025.  Mayfield was fresh off b2b top-10 finishes and is now going as the QB19, which seems criminal as he was the QB10 in rushing yards and now has the next generation of WR studs at his disposal.  Not only is Baker and this entire offense primed for a return to glory, the defense is truly terrible.  They allowed the 5th-most passing yards and the 9th-most passing TDs.  Every season we look for the next Bengals or Cowboys and I think the Buccs are it.  Now, if you’ve come with me this far, buckle in because Emeka Egbuka is the next fantasy superstar.  He’s not just going to be good, he’s going to be transcendent and he will win you your league.  I’m putting every egg, every chip, every piece of stock in the Egbuka bucket and he will propel this offense back into elite territory and the single biggest reason I am so high on TB this season.

    Player most likely to beat ADP: WR Emeka Egbuka (ADP 46, WR21)

    Do I need to tell you how I was on JSN island as a top-five WR or will you trust me.  I’m not even prepared to admit how early I would take Egbuka, but just know it’s nuts, until it isn’t.  

    Player most likely to fade based on ADP: RB Bucky Irving (ADP 52, RB20)

    I love Irving and got burnt by him last season.  The problem is that TB brough in Kenneth Gainwell, who is an elite RB2 and should handle the receiving duties and Sean Tucker could take some of the goal-line work.  


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