Be careful before you wander into that Tampa Bay-New Orleans box score. I know it sounds wonderful. There were a total of 78 points! There were 897 yards of offense! Both teams have different fantasy options that you should start, right?
So, of course, the fantasy superstar from this game was Sean Tucker, the Buccaneers’ unheralded running back. Because that’s how fantasy goes sometimes.
First, let’s start with the Tampa Bay players you’ve probably used in fantasy. Baker Mayfield can be a carnival at times, but he also produces most weeks. Mayfield threw for 325 yards and four passing touchdowns, offsetting three interceptions to give him 28.8 fantasy points. It’s his third straight game above 20 points, and he sat at QB2 with only SNF and MNF on the slate. The Buccaneers have surpassed 30 points in four of their games this year, an offense you can generally rely on.
Chris Godwin went on the road against the Saints secondary, posting an 11-125-2 line on 13 targets. He has had at least five receptions in every game and seems to be enjoying the shift to a heavier role. Godwin needed a bigger role as Mike Evans dealt with an undisclosed injury for most of the day, limping through the first half and briefly visiting the locker room. He had just one goal in the second half and finished 2-34-0 on six goals. Variance bites us all sometimes. Cade Oton had just two catches on his six targets, but one of them went for a short touchdown. You will take that with you during the Tight End Blackout of 2024.
Bucky Irving got the start in the backfield with Rachaad White unavailable and was fine, but not quite the smash we were hoping for (14-81-1 rushing, 2-24-0 receiving). That’s good for 17.5 fantasy points and a top-10 spot with two games left to play. But Irving has more company in the backfield than we expected, with sophomore Sean Tucker crashing the party.
Tucker flashed an early 36-yard touchdown, and he looked tireless as the close-it-out at the end ran over and around gassed defenders in the fourth quarter. It amounted 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 only rose to 1% on Sunday morning, even after White was officially scratched.
Tucker has 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 in his junior year, in part because Syracuse’s offensive line collapsed. And then he went undrafted in the spring of 2023, largely due to a previously undiagnosed heart condition that kept him from doing 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 had just three touches in the first five weeks of this year before playing a key role on Sunday.
It’s a reminder that there are several possible NFL stars waiting to be discovered, if only given the chance. Tucker will likely need an injury to White or Irving to have current fantasy relevance, but perhaps there’s something in this performance that the Buccaneers can’t miss.
As for Spencer Rattler’s debut debut for the Saints, we’d be happy to miss a fair chunk of it. He threw a couple picks, he had a fumble, he took five sacks. It didn’t help that Chris Olave (concussion) was lost in the first series of the game, although Rattler showed no chemistry with WR Rashid Shaheed (1-11-0, seven goals). As is common with backup quarterbacks, the featured receiver was a surprise player not seen as a primary starter: Bub Means recorded a 5-45-1 line on eight targets.
Volume and some touchdown deodorant saved Alvin Kamara’s day: only 64 total yards, but he had five catches and scored once. Nine different players drew a target and no one got further than 54 yards; Rattler is clearly a work-in-progress while Derek Carr is unavailable.
The exciting Buccaneers are coming to Baltimore and Atlanta in the next two weeks, so get your popcorn ready. The Saints could struggle to move the ball for the rest of this month against the Broncos and Chargers.
Other week 6 peaks and valleys
Cole Kmet’s value is rising
Not only did Kmet score twice on his way to 21.5 fantasy points in London’s win over Jacksonville, but he also saw the field plenty of times (57 snaps, 27 routes), while Gerald Everett (18 snaps, nine routes) was a non-factor was. Bears OC Shane Waldron can be hard to trust at times, but he seems to have accepted that Kmet deserves to be a full-time player while Everett is just a supporting piece. Kmet was the TE7 and TE8 the past two seasons, and he’s on pace to surpass that in 2024.
Mixed bag for the Jaguars
It’s crazy that the Jaguars have Brian Thomas Jr. don’t want to go out on a limb – six looks simply aren’t enough for their most dynamic player – but at least Evan Engram got off to a strong start, catching all ten of his looks for a 10-102-0 day. Engram lost one fumble, but he was PPR gold for the struggling Jags nonetheless. Chicago’s defense is formidable, but it was still disappointing to see Tank Bigsby limited to 24 yards on seven carries.
Drake Maye gives Patriots a 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 a team-high 26 runs) and offered 243 yards and three touchdowns while playing catch-up against Houston. The two pickaxes, the four bags; that’s life with a starting 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 move through the schedule of navigating the bye week. The Patriots head to London next week for the breakfast game in Jacksonville.
Zay deserves his flowers
There are a lot of stars in Baltimore, so a game without a touchdown could get lost in the shuffle. But Zay Flowers looked like a slinky against Washington, a beautiful 9-132-0 clinic in the first half, in which he managed to get all his goals. Unfortunately, the Ravens played clock ball in the second half and Flowers didn’t see a goal in the final 30 minutes. But all that time spent figuring out Baltimore’s tight end room (hey, Mark Andrews scored!) shouldn’t lose sight of the rising superstar on the outside.
McLaurin, Daniels still performing at a loss
The Commanders were unable to establish Terry McLaurin on the deeper routes, but two short touchdowns were good for fantasy. It’s refreshing to see McLaurin finally playing with an above-average quarterback in the NFL. Jayden Daniels had a few hiccups in Baltimore, but it’s something that he can have a less-than-stellar game and still give us 20+ fantasy points. The sledding will be much easier next week against Carolina.
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 in Philadelphia, had five sacks and couldn’t lead a touchdown drive. Of course, many parents have failed; there were revoked passes and procedural penalties; I worry about Nick Chubb trying to run behind this shaky offensive line. But Watson continues to look like a guy who is getting beat down physically and mentally every week, even as the Browns continue to stick with their recessed quarterback.
Remark: I’ll do some additional analysis of Sunday’s slate later today.