Mike Evans spent twelve seasons catching passes in Tampa. This month, for the first time since 2013, the Buccaneers will run out a fantasy-relevant offense without him in it. That single change resets almost every ranking on this roster, and it is the reason this guide exists.
Two quick things before the list. First, PPR means "points per reception," a scoring format that adds a point for every catch on top of yardage and touchdowns, and it tends to boost pass-catching backs and slot receivers relative to standard scoring. Second, by early September most redraft leagues have already drafted. This guide is written for both: a target/fair value/avoid call for anyone still picking, and a waiver-wire priority order for everyone else who already has a roster to manage.
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield enters the final year of his contract, and 2025 was a step back: 343-of-543 passing for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, a finish as QB17 in fantasy points per game after landing at QB4 the year before. Multiple in-season injuries, including knee and shoulder issues, played a part.
His current ADP sits around pick 146 overall, QB19 among passers, which is typical late-round-QB territory. FantasyPros' Derek Brown frames a bounce-back as plausible if Mayfield stays healthy, and his rushing floor, close to 400 yards a year on the ground, gives him a cushion even on bad passing days. Verdict: fair value. He is being drafted like a low-end QB2, which is roughly what a healthy version of him has been for two of his three Tampa seasons.
Running backs
Bucky Irving is the earlier example of what injuries do to a stat line. He played only 10 games in 2025 (missing time with ankle and shoulder issues), finishing with 173 carries for 588 yards and a touchdown, plus 30 catches for 277 yards and 3 scores. When healthy, he was producing at an RB17 pace in points per game on 20-plus touches. That gap between "healthy Irving" and "2025 Irving" is exactly why he still goes around pick 35 overall, an RB2 price. Verdict: target, with eyes open about the injury history.
Kenny Gainwell arrived in Tampa this offseason as the passing-down complement, going off the board around pick 90 (RB38 among backs). If Irving misses time again, Gainwell is the first man up for touches, which makes him more valuable as a handcuff than as a standalone RB3. Verdict: fair value for the role, and one of the better handcuffs available this late.
Sean Tucker rounds out the room as the clear third back, going undrafted in most formats (ADP around 206 overall). There is nothing wrong with stashing him in a deep league, but he is not a start unless multiple injuries hit ahead of him. Verdict: avoid, except as a free late-round flier.
One name missing from this list on purpose: Rachaad White, the Buccaneers' primary back for three seasons, signed with the Washington Commanders in March 2026. Anyone drafting off an old cheat sheet needs to cross him off the Tampa Bay section entirely.
Wide receivers
Chris Godwin is the closest thing to a proven target left after Evans' departure, but 2025 was a lost year by his standards: an ankle and fibula recovery limited him to 9 games (6 starts), 33 catches, 360 yards and 2 touchdowns. The encouraging part is the tape from his final six weeks, when he ran a full route tree again and posted a 16.8 percent target share with strong yards-per-route-run numbers, the kind of efficiency that does not look like a player who is finished. His ADP has settled around pick 84 overall (WR36), with an easy 2026 schedule for the position. Verdict: target as a buy-low WR3 with WR2 upside if Mayfield stays on the field.
Emeka Egbuka is now the unquestioned top receiver in Tampa. His rookie season was split in two: a WR3-pace start through five weeks (22.1 percent target share, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for September) before a Week 6 hamstring injury, layered on top of Mayfield's own injury absence, dragged his per-game output down the stretch. The full-season line still read 63 catches, 938 yards and 6 touchdowns across 17 games, and a PFWA All-Rookie Team nod. He currently carries a toe injury and is questionable for the season opener, but his ADP (around pick 52 overall, low-end WR2 range) already reflects both the ceiling and the injury risk. Verdict: target. With Evans gone, the target share is his to lose.
Jalen McMillan is the wild card of the group. He suffered a broken bone in his neck in the 2025 preseason, opened the year on injured reserve, and did not return until Week 15, finishing with just 4 games played, 12 catches and 178 yards, though a strong Week 17 (7 catches, 114 yards against Miami) hinted at what he can do with a real role. He now enters 2026 dealing with a separate knee concern that has him uncertain for Week 1. His ADP has fallen to roughly pick 196 overall (WR69). Verdict: avoid as a draft-day starter, but worth a very late-round stash given the flashes and the touchdown upside if he claims the third receiver job.
Tez Johnson and Kameron Johnson round out the receiver room. Neither saw meaningful volume as rookies in 2025, Tez Johnson averaging under two catches a game and Kameron Johnson going multiple games without a target. Verdict: avoid both for draft day; they belong on the waiver watch list only if McMillan or Egbuka miss extended time.
Tight ends
Cade Otton played all 16 games in 2025 and quietly finished as TE25, catching 59 passes for 572 yards and a single touchdown, numbers that reflect steady target volume but almost no red-zone role. With Evans gone and the receiver room banged up entering the season, Otton could see a bump in opportunity, but his current ADP (around pick 195 overall, TE25 to TE28 range depending on the source) already prices in modest expectations. Verdict: fair value as a streaming option in single-tight-end formats, not a must-draft.
Payne Durham remains a blocking specialist with almost no receiving role (fewer than one target in most 2025 games) and belongs nowhere near a fantasy roster. Verdict: avoid.
Kicker and defense
Chase McLaughlin made 32 of 38 field goals in 2025 (84.2 percent), a dip from his 93-plus percent accuracy in each of the two prior seasons, but he also hit a 65-yard, game-tying field goal that set the NFL record for the longest kick outdoors. He plays half his games in warm-weather Florida, which helps his floor. Kickers are essentially a last-round coin flip anyway. Verdict: fair value, take him with one of your final picks if you like a proven leg.
The Buccaneers defense/special teams is not an early-round unit in most rankings, and Tampa Bay's own head coach spent this preseason talking publicly about wanting an "attitude change" on that side of the ball, language that tells you the unit underperformed its talent level in 2025. The offseason additions of edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and linebacker Josiah Trotter should help over time, but a defense in transition is a streaming play, not a keeper. [CHECK: exact 2025 fantasy points allowed rank and 2026 ADP for the Buccaneers D/ST, which could not be confirmed against two independent sources at the time of writing.] Verdict: avoid on draft day, stream by matchup instead.
The full board
PlayerPosition2025 finish2026 ADPVerdict
Baker Mayfield
QB
QB17 (PPG)
~146 overall (QB19)
Fair value
Bucky Irving
RB
RB17 pace when healthy, 10 games played
~35 overall (RB2 range)
Target
Kenny Gainwell
RB
New to Tampa in 2026
~90 overall (RB38)
Fair value / handcuff
Sean Tucker
RB
Depth role
~206 overall (RB65)
Avoid
Chris Godwin
WR
WR32 (PPG, final 6 weeks)
~84 overall (WR36)
Target (buy-low)
Emeka Egbuka
WR
63/938/6, WR3 pace early
~52 overall (WR22)
Target
Jalen McMillan
WR
12/178/0 in 4 games
~196 overall (WR69)
Avoid (deep stash)
Tez Johnson
WR
Minimal role
~339 overall (WR116)
Avoid
Cade Otton
TE
TE25 (59/572/1)
~195 overall (TE25 to 28)
Fair value
Payne Durham
TE
Minimal role
Outside top 90 TEs
Avoid
Chase McLaughlin
K
32-of-38 FG (84.2%)
Last rounds
Fair value
Buccaneers D/ST
DST
[CHECK: exact rank]
[CHECK: exact ADP]
Avoid (stream)
For the leagues that already drafted
If your draft already happened, treat this as a waiver priority list instead. Godwin and Otton are the two names most likely to be sitting on a waiver wire in shallower leagues right now, and both are reasonable adds if your roster needs receiver or tight end depth given how the target tree could shift once the season settles. Gainwell is the handcuff worth a speculative add in any league where Irving owners are nervous, and McMillan is the one player on this roster worth stashing on your bench purely for the touchdown upside if his knee clears up and he claims real snaps.
None of this roster screams championship fantasy team, and that is honestly consistent with where Tampa Bay sits as a team: a group replacing its best player with better health and more youth, not a like-for-like swap. Draft, or waiver-wire, accordingly.
