Be careful before you meander into that Tampa Bay-New Orleans boxscore. I know it sounds delightful. There were 78 total points! There were 897 yards of offense! Both teams have several must-start fantasy options, right?
So of course the fantasy superstar from this game was Sean Tucker, unheralded running back of the Buccaneers. Because that’s how fantasy goes sometimes.
First, let’s start with the Tampa Bay players you likely used for fantasy. Baker Mayfield is a carnival sometimes, but he’s also producing most weeks. Mayfield threw for 325 yards and four passing touchdowns, offsetting three interceptions and landing him at 28.8 fantasy points. It’s his third straight game over the 20-point mark, and he was sitting at QB2 with just SNF and MNF left on the slate. The Buccaneers have sailed past 30 points in four of their games this year, an offense you can generally trust.
Chris Godwin went off against the Saints secondary, rocking an 11-125-2 line on 13 targets. He’s had at least five receptions in every game and the shift to a slot-heavier role seems to agree with him. Godwin needed a bigger role because Mike Evans was dealing with an undisclosed injury for most of the day, limping through the first half and briefly visiting the locker room. He only had one target in the second half and finished 2-34-0 on six targets. Variance bites us all sometimes. Cade Otton only had two catches on his six targets, but one of them went for a short touchdown. You’ll take that during the Tight End Blackout of 2024.
Bucky Irving picked up the backfield start with Rachaad White unavailable and was fine, but not quite the smash we hoped for (14-81-1 rushing, 2-24-0 receiving). That’s good for 17.5 fantasy points, and a slot in the top 10 with two games left to play. But Irving has more company in the backfield than we expected, with second-year back Sean Tucker crashing the party.
Tucker flashed with an early 36-yard receiving touchdown and he looked tireless as the close-it-out back at the end, running over and around gassed defenders in the fourth quarter. It added up to 136 yards on the ground, 56 yards through the air and two touchdowns on 17 touches. Say hello to 32.7 fantasy points, largely ignored in Yahoo leagues. Tucker’s roster tag merely rose to 1% on Sunday morning, even after White was officially scratched.
Tucker’s had a meandering football journey. He broke out in 2021 as a sophomore at Syracuse, rolling up 1,496 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns, earning first-team All-ACC honors. Averaging 6.1 yards per rush and 12.8 yards per catch, he was on his way to stardom.
Tucker’s stats fell back in his junior year, in part because the Syracuse offensive line collapsed. And then he went undrafted in the spring of 2023, largely because of a previously undiagnosed heart condition that kept him from running drills at the combine.
The Buccaneers added Tucker as a free agent and he was on the roster last season, with limited and mediocre results (15 carries, 23 yards). He only had three touches in the first five weeks of this year, before stepping into a key role Sunday.
It reminds us that there are several possible NFL stars just waiting to be discovered, if only they get an opportunity. Tucker probably needs an injury to White or Irving to have current fantasy relevance, but maybe there’s something from this performance that the Buccaneers can’t unsee.
As for Spencer Rattler’s starting debut for the Saints, we’d like to unsee a fair amount of it. He threw a couple of picks, he had a fumble, he took five sacks. It didn’t help that Chris Olave (concussion) was lost on the first series of the game, though Rattler showed no chemistry with WR Rashid Shaheed (1-11-0, seven targets). As is common with backup quarterbacks, the featured receiver was a surprise player not seen as a primary starter: Bub Means logged a 5-45-1 line on eight targets.
Volume and some touchdown deodorant saved Alvin Kamara’s day: just 64 total yards, but he had five catches and scored once. Nine different players drew a target and no one got past 54 yards; Rattler’s obviously a work-in-progress while Derek Carr is not available.
The thrill-a-minute Buccaneers get Baltimore and Atlanta the next two weeks, so get your popcorn ready. The Saints could struggle to move the ball the rest of this month, facing the Broncos and Chargers.
Cole Kmet’s value on the rise
Kmet not only scored twice en route to a 21.5 fantasy points in the London win over Jacksonville, but he saw the field plenty (57 snaps, 27 routes) while Gerald Everett (18 snaps, nine routes) was a non-factor. Bears OC Shane Waldron can be difficult to trust sometimes, but he seems to have accepted that Kmet deserves to be a full-time player while Everett is just a support piece. Kmet was the TE7 and TE8 the last two seasons, and he’s on pace to exceed that in 2024.
Mixed bag for the Jaguars
It’s bizarre that the Jaguars won’t target Brian Thomas Jr. off the bus — six looks simply isn’t enough for their most dynamic player — but at least Evan Engram hit the ground running, catching all 10 of his looks for a 10-102-0 day. Engram did lose one fumble, but he was nonetheless PPR gold for the struggling Jags. Chicago’s defense is formidable but nonetheless it was disappointing to see Tank Bigsby limited to 24 yards on seven carries.
Drake Maye gives Patriots much-needed boost
Say this for the Patriots offense, at least they opened things up with Maye. Sure, the offensive line is a mess and the skill talent could be better, but Maye still dropped back 37 times (against 26 team runs) and offered 243 yards and three touchdowns, playing catchup against Houston. The two picks, the four sacks, that’s life with a rookie quarterback. But DeMario Douglas (6-91-2) and Hunter Henry (3-41-1) both came home for fantasy, and it’s nice to at least have another offense worth considering as we navigate the bye week schedule. The Patriots head to London for the Jacksonville breakfast game next week.
Zay deserves his Flowers
There are a lot of stars in Baltimore, so a game without a touchdown can get lost in the shuffle. But Zay Flowers looked like a slinky against Washington, a gorgeous 9-132-0 clinic in the first half, catching all of his targets. Alas, the Ravens were playing clock ball in the second half and Flowers didn’t see a target in the final 30 minutes. But for all the time we spend trying to figure out Baltimore’s tight end room (hey, Mark Andrews scored!), don’t lose sight of the emerging superstar on the outside.
McLaurin, Daniels still deliver in loss
The Commanders weren’t able to establish Terry McLaurin on the deeper routes, but two short touchdowns spend well for fantasy. It’s refreshing to see McLaurin finally playing with an above-average quarterback in the NFL. Jayden Daniels had a few hiccups at Baltimore, but it’s something that he can play a less-than-stellar game and still give us over 20 fantasy points. The sledding will be much easier against Carolina next week.
Same old story for Watson, Browns
If you’ve seen one Deshaun Watson game, you’ve seen them all. He was held to 168 passing yards at Philadelphia, took five sacks, and couldn’t direct a touchdown drive. Failure has many parents, of course — there were dropped passes and procedural penalties; I worry about Nick Chubb trying to run behind this shaky offensive line. But Watson continues to look like a man beaten down physically and mentally every week, even if the Browns continue to stick to their sunk-cost quarterback.
Note: I’ll follow up with additional analysis from Sunday’s slate later in the day.
