Mayfield had a major bounceback season in 2023 while finding an immediate rapport with Mike Evans. He finished the season averaging the 17th-most Fantasy points per game and will always be limited by the fact that he doesn't offer much of anything in the run game. Mayfield will benefit from having another offseason to improve his rapport with Evans and with Chris Godwin now one full year removed from an ACL tear and a hopefully healthier Tampa offensive line. Mayfield makes for a solid backup in one-QB leagues and a QB2 for two-QB and Superflex formats.
We'll see how quickly Dan Quinn can fix the Commanders defense, but last year Washington was No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Mayfield was also great to close 2023 with at least 20.3 Fantasy points in four of his final five outings, and Mayfield is a great starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues for Week 1 given the matchup.
Mayfield is my number one projected streamer this week at 18.4 Fantasy points. I would start him over Cousins and Rodgers. The Commanders gave up the most Fantasy points per game to opposing QBs last year. There is a little bit of risk with the new offensive coordinator but that's mostly made up for by the fact that he has Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Week 1 Waiver Priority List
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I don't expect Mayfield to become a weekly starter, but he can be a borderline top-15 quarterback once again. Last year, he averaged 18.6 Fantasy points per game, which was better than Tua Tagovailoa (18.4) and Trevor Lawrence (18.3).
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Sharp in brief preseason action
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Mayfield completed all three of his pass attempts for 54 yards in Friday's 24-14 preseason win over the Dolphins.
Mayfield was in midseason form for his only drive of the preseason. He notched consecutive completions of nine yards to Chris Godwin, 17 yards to Rachaad White and 28 yards to Jalen McMillan before White ran in a four-yard touchdown to cap the first-team offense's brief stint in the game. Mayfield's coming off a successful first season in Tampa Bay, as he posted his first 4,000-yard passing campaign in the regular season and won a playoff game. The 29-year-old quarterback looks ready to pick up where he left off when the Buccaneers kick off the regular season Sept. 8 against the Commanders.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Sitting out vs. Jacksonville
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Mayfield will not suit up for Saturday's game against the Jaguars, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Buccaneers will once again hold the majority of starters out of Saturday's second exhibition contest, as the team did last week versus the Bengals. Mayfield's final chance to log any preseason reps will come Friday, Aug. 23, at home against the Dolphins.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Won't play this weekend
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Mayfield isn't scheduled to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Bengals, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Coach Todd Bowles said Thursday that Kyle Trask will be Tampa's starting quarterback Saturday evening. It's probably safe to assume Mayfield's favorite pass catchers will also be held out, namely WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, TE Cade Otton and RB Rachaad White. However, WR Jalen McMillan seemingly will get snaps despite projecting for the No. 3 receiver role, as Bowles said "all the rookies" will play.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Makes progress learning offense
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Mayfield made significant progress in picking up the intricacies of new coordinator Liam Coen's offense throughout the offseason, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports. "There's a lot fewer mistakes and 'M.E.'s," said head coach Todd Bowles. "He has a lot more audibles on his plate than he did in the past and he's getting them down very [well]."
Bowles' comments came in the midst of the mandatory minicamp the Buccaneers held earlier in June, following a particularly productive penultimate practice of the offseason in which Mayfield spread the ball around effectively. Mayfield has had plenty of opportunity to progressively get a handle on the offensive system, as he was also part of 10 voluntary OTA practices before minicamp. While there figures to be some additional growing pains with the offense, there will be multiple weeks of training camp and preseason games for Mayfield and a top quartet of incumbent pass catchers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Trey Palmer and Cade Otton to continue building chemistry within it.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Staying with Tampa Bay
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Mayfield agreed to terms on a three-year, $100 million deal with the Buccaneers on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Mayfield will remain with Tampa Bay as its presumptive starting quarterback for at least the next two years. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the 28-year-old's new deal includes $50 million guaranteed, including $30 million guaranteed in 2024 and $20 million guaranteed in 2025. This contract also includes $5 million per year in incentives, increasing its max value to $115 million. Mayfield originally signed with the squad in May 2023 on a flier, one-year deal worth $8.5 million. He went on to notch career highs in both passing yards (4,044) and passing touchdowns (28) while tossing just 10 interceptions across 17 regular-season starts, and he led the team to a NFC South title and an appearance in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Star wideout Mike Evans also re-signed on a two-year, $52 million contract with Tampa Bay this offseason while standout slot receiver Chris Godwin also still has two years remaining on his current contract with the team. The retention of these two core receivers should provide Mayfield with a strong base of receiving talent heading into the 2024 campaign.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Contract talks expected to continue
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Buccaneers' GM Jason Licht is expected to meet with Mayfield's agent, Tom Mills, during the NFL scouting combine next week, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Stroud notes that while no deal for the QB to remain with Tampa Bay is imminent, the team and Mayfield have had some preliminary talks about a potential new contract. In his first season with the Bucs, Mayfield recorded a career-high 4,044 passing yards to go along with a 28:10 TD ratio en route to leading the franchise to a third straight NFC South title. The report adds that Mayfield -- who the Browns made the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft -- would prefer to stay put after having split the 2022 campaign with the Panthers and Rams -- but if the veteran signal-caller hits the free agent market next month, the Buccaneers could have some competition for the 28-year-old's services.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Stellar effort marred by INT
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Mayfield completed 26 of 41 passes for 349 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions and added two rushes for 15 yards in the Buccaneers' 31-23 divisional-round loss to the Lions on Sunday.
Mayfield authored yet another noteworthy performance, eclipsing the 300-yard mark for the second time in as many postseason games and fourth time in the last six contests overall. However, the Buccaneers ultimately came up short in large part because of Mayfield's interception on a pass intended for Cade Otton with 1:35 remaining on the second play of what was set to be Tampa Bay's potential game-tying drive. Mayfield had helped put his team in that position on the previous possession, when he spearheaded a nine-play, 75-yard march that he capped with his third touchdown toss of the day, a 16-yard laser to Mike Evans. That scoring throw had been preceded by two- and 12-yard connections with Otton and Rachaad White, respectively, in what was a back-and-forth affair all afternoon. Despite the disappointing end to a better-than-expected season, Michael Baca of NFL.com reports there is mutual interest between player and team for Mayfield to return in 2024 after he threw for 4,044 yards with a 28:10 TD:INT and 163 rushing yards and an additional score across 17 regular-season games.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Active in wild-card round
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Mayfield (ankle/ribs) is listed as active for Monday's wild-card game versus the Eagles.
Mayfield was visibly bothered by injury during the Buccaneers' Week 18 win at Carolina, but he played all 65 offensive snaps in that contest. He then opened prep for Tampa Bay's postseason opener with a DNP on last Thursday's practice estimate due to ankle and rib issues and followed it up with limited sessions Friday and Saturday to put himself in a position to suit up. With his status confirmed for Monday, Mayfield will be taking on a Philadelphia defense that conceded the second-most touchdown passes (35) to opposing quarterbacks in 17 regular-season games.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: In line to play Monday
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Mayfield (ankle/ribs) is slated to play in Monday's wild-card game against the Eagles, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.
In the wake of limping around the Buccaneers' Week 18 win at Carolina, Mayfield managed a pair of limited practices Friday and Saturday due to ankle and rib injuries before being listed as questionable for the team's playoff opener. No matter, he appears as if he'll be available to direct Tampa Bay's offense Monday, which will be clarified approximately 90 minutes before an 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Limited Friday
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Mayfield (ankle/ribs) was limited at Friday's practice.
Mayfield clearly was banged up but continued to play through the pain during this past Sunday's 9-0 win at Carolina, logging all 65 snaps on offense in the process. Upon the Buccaneers posting their first practice report of the week Thursday, he was listed as a non-participant due to ankle and rib injuries. One day later, though, Mayfield mixed back into some drills, seemingly putting him on a path to be available in the wild-card round. Saturday's injury report will reveal whether or not he heads into Monday's game versus the Eagles with a designation or cleared to suit up.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Quiet in division-clinching win
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Mayfield completed 20 of 32 passes for 137 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed five times for seven yards in the Buccaneers' 9-0 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Mayfield averaged only 4.3 yards per attempt while carrying out a game plan that was unsurprisingly conservative against an opponent seemingly incapable of pressing the Buccaneers offensively. The veteran signal-caller gutted out what appeared to be a lower-body injury that occurred on a first-half sack, leading the Buccaneers to the NFC South title while eclipsing the 4,000-yard mark for the first time in his career (4,044). Mayfield and the Buccaneers will now await confirmation of their opponent for a home NFC Wild Card Game next weekend.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Ready to go against Carolina
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Mayfield (ribs) is active for Sunday's game against the Panthers.
Coach Todd Bowles confirmed Friday that Mayfield would be available to start in the final regular-season matchup, though his active status serves as confirmation. The Buccaneers need to beat Carolina to win the NFC South title and clinch a playoff berth. Mayfield enters the matchup having thrown for multiple touchdowns in each of his last four games.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Taking questionable tag into Sunday
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Mayfield (ribs) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers, though head coach Todd Bowles confirmed Friday that the quarterback will be available to start in Week 18, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Mayfield dealt with some rib soreness in the aftermath of this past Sunday's loss to the Saints, but the signal-caller seemed to make gradual progress as the week went along. After sitting out the Buccaneers' first Week 18 practice Wednesday, he returned to the field as a limited participant Thursday, then took every rep Friday. Barring any unexpected setbacks leading up to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, Mayfield should be cleared to make his 17th start of the season as the Buccaneers look to clinch the NFC South title with a win over the Panthers.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Ribs still bothersome Wednesday
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Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield (ribs) wouldn't have participated if the Buccaneers held practice Wednesday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Tampa Bay has a walk-through scheduled Wednesday, and Mayfield will likely be listed as a non-participant when the Buccaneers release their estimated injury report later in the day. Bowles added that Kyle Trask will likely get more reps in practice Thursday in anticipation of a possible absence from Mayfield on Sunday against the Panthers. The Buccaneers would clinch the NFC South crown with a win in Carolina, so Mayfield will do all he can to be available by Sunday. However, Bowles seemed less sure about Mayfield's availability for the regular-season finale than he did when asked about the quarterback's injury Monday.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Mistake-ridden performance in loss
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Mayfield completed 22 of 33 passes for 309 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and rushed once for minus-1 yard in the Buccaneers' 23-13 loss to the Saints on Sunday.
Mayfield did manage to clear the 300-yard mark for the second time in the last three games and threw for multiple touchdowns for the fourth consecutive contest as well, but those were largely empty numbers. The Buccaneers struggled on offense for most of the day until late, when Mayfield connected with Trey Palmer on a 22-yard touchdown pass just before the midway point of the fourth quarter. Mayfield also managed to hit Chris Godwin for a 47-yard scoring strike with 1:37 remaining, but the Saints recovered the ensuing onside kick. The veteran signal-caller will look to rebound in Week 18 against the Panthers in a game that sets up as a win-and-in scenario for Tampa Bay.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Another stellar performance Sunday
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Mayfield completed 26 of 35 passes for 283 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Buccaneers' 30-12 win over the Jaguars on Sunday. He also rushed five times for five yards.
Mayfield's late-season surge continued in remarkable fashion Sunday, with the Comeback of the Player candidate turning in yet another highly efficient and mistake-free performance. The 2018 first overall pick hit Mike Evans for both his touchdown passes and connected with seven different targets overall. Mayfield now has an 8:0 TD:INT over his last three games, and he's just two scoring tosses short of eclipsing the career-best 27 touchdown passes he threw in his rookie 2018 campaign. Mayfield will look to inch the Bucs closer to the NFC South crown when he faces the Saints in a Week 17 home matchup.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: QBs to Start
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Mayfield is on fire coming into Week 16 against Jacksonville, and he scored a combined 61.1 Fantasy points in his past two outings against Atlanta and Green Bay. He was in consideration for Start of the Week with his matchup against the Jaguars, who are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this season at 22.4 per game. Four quarterbacks in a row have scored at least 20.5 Fantasy points against Jacksonville, and Mayfield should keep that trend going. He's a top-10 Fantasy quarterback for me in Week 16.
