Top Tampa Bay Buccaneers players worth drafting in Fantasy Football this year
By Brad Smith
With the start of the 2024 NFL season just 71 days away, fans are preparing for a flurry of sports news and analysis in the days to come. Part of it comes with cheering on their favorite team, others with the new season of Fantasy Football.
Although most Fantasy Football leagues won't start until later in the offseason, typically around the preseason, it's never too early to look at the key players on teams that will have notable impacts on rosters in several leagues in 2024.
In 2024, Tampa Bay is set to have many players who will likely contribute to Fantasy Football teams on a weekly basis. From quarterback to tight end, these are the top players to scout and follow through the remainder of the offseason in leading up to your Fantasy Football drafts.
Baker Mayfield, QB
2023 Stats: 17 starts, 9-8 record, 4,044 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 64.3% completion, 7.1 yards per attempt, 94.6 passer rating, 54.3 QBR.
2024 Fantasy Football Profile: QB22, Tier 4, #132 ADP
2024 Preview: After bouncing from three different teams in two seasons, Mayfield signed a one-year, $4.5 million "prove-it" deal with Tampa Bay in 2023. One year later, Mayfield captained the Bucs to their third straight NFC South division title, while throwing for career-highs in passing yards, touchdowns, and completion percentage to win the NFL's 2024 Most Improved Player Award and earn his second Pro Bowl nod.
In fantasy, Mayfield averaged the 17th-most fantasy points per game, and was QB10 in total fantasy scoring. That was under the coaching of offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who left the Bucs to become the Panthers' head coach this offseason. This season, Mayfield will work with former Rams' offensive coordinator Liam Coen, marking his eighth different offensive coordinator in seven seasons.
Even so, Mayfield will benefit from having another offseason to improve his rapport with star receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, along with a much-improved Bucs' offensive line. For the 2024 season, Mayfield makes for a solid backup in one-QB leagues and a QB2 for two-QB and Superflex formats.
Rachaad White, RB
2023 Stats: 17 starts, 272 rush attempts, 990 rush yards, six touchdowns, 3.6 yards per attempt, 64 receptions, 549 receiving yards, three touchdowns, 8.6 yards per catch
2024 Fantasy Football Profile: RB15, Tier 3, #32 ADP
2024 Preview: Like Mayfield, White thrived in Coen's offensive-friendly scheme in 2023, totaling over 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns from scrimmage in his sophomore season. Per Fantasy Pros, White finished 2023 with the fifth-most touches per game, top 10 among all RBs in carries, and top nine in targets, resulting in posting the 14th-most Fantasy points per game and ninth-most per game in PPR formats.
On a per-game basis, White was one of the more productive backs in the league, totaling 100+ yards from scrimmage in eight different games. Even with the departure of Canales and the addition of fourth-round pick Bucky Irving, White enters 2024 as the presumed workhorse back in Tampa Bay, and should be taken around the round two/three turn with one of the largest workloads at the position.
Bucky Irving, RB
2023 Stats (College): 14 starts, 186 rush attempts, 1,180 rush yards, 11 touchdowns, 6.3 yards per attempt, 56 receptions, 413 receiving yards, two touchdowns, 7.4 yards per catch
2024 Fantasy Football Profile: RB62, Tier 7, #174 ADP
2024 Preview: In reference to the return of White, Irving is slated to immediately start as the Bucs' No. 2 back after earning back-to-back All-Pac 12 First Team selections in 2022 and 2023. In two seasons as a Duck, Irving recorded 186 carries for 2,238 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground, while catching 87 passes for 712 receiving yards and five touchdowns through the air.
If White remains healthy in 2024, Irving will be one of the top running back handcuffs to add in any league format. Besides that, Irving will only hold true value if White is sidelined with an injury. Fantasy Pros has Irving as the RB68 in half-point PPR redraft leagues and an Underdog best-ball ADP of RB47.