Bears
Tampa Bay beat Atlanta 16-0 on Sunday in driving rain, and the offense did something almost no NFL team does: it never completed a pass. Baker Mayfield went 0 of 3, according to both ESPN and CBS Sports, and the Bucs ran 56 times for 324 yards, a franchise record. The defense took the ball away four times from Michael Penix Jr.
Key facts
- Tampa Bay beat Atlanta 16-0 on November 1, 2026, with Baker Mayfield going 0 of 3 and the team completing no passes.
- Bucky Irving rushed 27 times for 170 yards and a touchdown, and Kenny Gainwell rushed 25 times for 140 yards.
- The Bucs rushed for 324 yards on 56 carries, a franchise single-game record according to ESPN and CBS Sports.
- Emeka Egbuka (foot) was inactive, and Chris Godwin Jr., Ted Hurst III and Gainwell each had one target and no catch.
- Tampa Bay visits Chicago on Sunday, November 8, at 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time (2:20 a.m. CET Monday), then has its Week 10 bye.
That makes this a very thin waiver week. A game script like this tells you about the weather and the coaching plan more than about anyone's role. We also could not find Week 8 snap counts or current rostership percentages from a source we could read, so the ownership notes below are deliberately light. Check your own league before spending a claim.
The one add worth a look
Kenny Gainwell, RB, deeper leagues and Irving owners. Gainwell rushed 25 times for 140 yards, a career high per buccaneers.com, with a long of 28 yards (ESPN). Bucky Irving still led the backfield with 27 carries for 170 yards and the only rushing touchdown. The notable part is that two backs each carried 25 times or more, which is a clear sign the plan was to feed both of them, at least in this weather.
The caution is that Gainwell was a 43% rostered back on Yahoo a week ago (per our Week 7 piece), so he may already be on a roster in your league. [CHECK: current rostership.] He also had one target and no catch, so there is no receiving floor here. Add him as a flex option in deeper leagues or as the best Irving handcuff. Do not pay a large share of your budget for a game played in a downpour.
Who to leave alone
Sean Tucker, RB. Tucker does not appear in the Tampa Bay rushing lines at all. The team total of 56 carries is fully accounted for by Irving (27), Gainwell (25) and Mayfield (4), per ESPN. A week after his 46-yard touchdown, he is off the radar.
The receivers. Chris Godwin Jr., Ted Hurst III and Gainwell each had one target and no catch, so the whole passing game amounted to three throws. Emeka Egbuka was inactive with a foot injury, per ESPN and CBS Sports, and we found no Week 9 status for him yet. Nobody in this group is an add off Sunday's game. If you are chasing Tez Johnson as an Egbuka stash, note that we found no Week 8 usage data for him, so any claim rests on his Week 7 role (41 snaps, per buccaneers.com), not on this game.
Baker Mayfield. He returned from a fractured thumb in his second game back and threw three passes. Keep him where he was.
Next week: Bucs at Bears
Tampa Bay (3-5) plays at Chicago (6-2) on Sunday, November 8, at 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time (2:20 a.m. CET Monday) on NBC, per Fox Sports. Fox lists the Bears as 6.5-point favorites with a total of 46.5. [CHECK: spread and total, single source.] A road underdog does not usually run the ball on 92% of its plays, so expect more throws than last week.
Buccaneers D/ST, hold, not a stream. Four interceptions and a shutout look great, but ESPN's box score shows no sacks, and Chicago away as a road underdog is not a soft matchup. If you already own the unit, keep it. We would not pick it up for this game alone. We have not researched the Bears' offense in depth, so we do not make a stronger claim.
Chase McLaughlin, K, hold. He went 3 for 3 on field goals (34, 46 and 42 yards) in the rain, per ESPN and CBS Sports. A team that stalls in the red zone and kicks is a fine kicker situation, but a game with passing may change that. It is a hold, not a pickup.
One more planning note: Tampa Bay is on a bye in Week 10, so anyone you add for this game is a one-week rental before a dead week. Weigh that before dropping a useful bench player.
The summary: Gainwell is the only real add, and only in leagues where he is available and the price is small. Everyone else on the offense is a pass.
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