Cowboys
The Buccaneers lost 17-14 to the Green Bay Packers at home on Sunday, and the fantasy numbers tell the same story as the scoreboard: a thin offense that found a few points but never enough. Quarterback Jalon Daniels led all Tampa Bay players with 11.4 PPR points, almost entirely thanks to his legs and a single touchdown pass.
Week 4 fantasy scoreboard
Week 4: Buccaneers vs Green Bay Packers, 14-17
Top scorers: 1. Jalon Daniels (QB), 11.4 PPR. 2. Kenny Gainwell (RB), 10.7 PPR. 3. Chris Godwin Jr. (WR), 9.1 PPR.
Daniels wins a low bar
Daniels finished 19 of 27 for 148 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. As a passer that is worth about 5.9 points, because the touchdown and the two picks cancel each other out under standard scoring. The rest came on the ground: eight carries for 55 yards, which added another 5.5 points. Without his scrambling he would have sat well down this list.
The takeaway for fantasy managers is familiar. A quarterback who runs for 50-plus yards has a floor that a pure pocket passer does not, even when the passing is rough.
Gainwell finds the end zone
Kenny Gainwell was the most efficient scorer on the team. He rushed three times for 5 yards and caught both of his targets for 22 yards and a touchdown, which adds up to 10.7 PPR points, 9.7 in half-PPR and 8.7 in standard. That touchdown came from Daniels, and it accounts for most of his total, so this was a scoring-play result more than a workload result.
Sean Tucker also scored once, a rushing touchdown on three carries for 10 yards, good for 7.0 points in every format. Bucky Irving took the bulk of the carries (16 for 61 yards, 6.1 points) but found no end zone. As in the early weeks, the touchdowns were split across the backfield, which is the annoying part of owning any single Tampa Bay back.
Godwin and Otton carry the passing game
Chris Godwin Jr. caught 6 of 7 targets for 31 yards. That is only 3.1 points in standard leagues, but the volume pushes him to 9.1 in PPR and made him the third-best scorer on the team. Tight end Cade Otton added 4 catches for 37 yards on 6 targets for 7.7 PPR points.
The rest of the receiving group was quiet. Tez Johnson had two catches for 17 yards plus a 10-yard carry (4.7 PPR). Ted Hurst III caught 2 of 3 targets for 25 yards (4.5). Kameron Johnson managed one catch for 3 yards (1.3).
The disappointments
Emeka Egbuka drew four targets and turned them into two catches for 13 yards, just 3.3 PPR points. Four targets is a respectable look, but the yards were not there, and no touchdown rescued the day.
Kicker Chase McLaughlin made both of his extra points and had no field goal attempts, so he finished with 2.0 points. The Buccaneers D/ST scored 5.0 points with one interception and one fumble recovery, no sacks and no touchdowns, and it gave up 17 points. Our box-score data has no sacks recorded for the game, which hurts any defense's fantasy ceiling.
One note on the injury front: ESPN's game recap lists Antoine Winfield Jr. (abdomen and rib) and SirVocea Dennis (ankle) among the Buccaneers' injuries from the game. We have not seen any official word on their status, so check the injury report before setting a defense or IDP lineup.
What it means for next week
Do not chase last week's touchdowns. Gainwell's 10.7 came from one catch in the end zone, and with Irving carrying 16 times, Irving is still the steadier flex play. Tucker's score is a reminder of his short-yardage role, but three carries is a thin base, so he remains a touchdown-dependent bench stash at best.
Godwin looks like a reliable PPR starter on the strength of seven targets. Otton is a fine streaming option at tight end if you need one. Egbuka stays a hold rather than a drop, because the targets were there even if the production was not. Daniels is a usable quarterback two in superflex or two-quarterback leagues while the rushing continues, but the two interceptions are a warning for anyone relying on him in a one-quarterback league.
How we score
We use PPR scoring unless noted: passing yards 0.04 per yard, passing touchdowns 4, interceptions -2; rushing and receiving yards 0.1 per yard, touchdowns 6; receptions 1.0 (PPR), 0.5 (half) or 0 (standard); fumble lost -2; return touchdown 6. Kickers get 3 per field goal, 1 per extra point and -1 per missed field goal. The D/ST gets 1 per sack, 2 per interception or fumble recovery, 6 per touchdown, plus points-allowed tiers. Two-point conversions are not counted because they are not in the box score.
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