Tampa Bay, Team Vibes and Players to Target and Avoid

As we race toward August, Footballguys will look at one team per day with our quick-hitting Team Vibes and Players We're In and Out On, where we check out the overall mood of each team's offense and let you know the players we are in on (because they are great values at the cost it takes to acquire them) and who we're out on (because they are too expensive and won't give you a good return on that investment).

Go Deeper: See in-depth projections for every Buccaneers player here >>>

This is a daily series that will stretch through July 31. If you like this and want another, come back tomorrow. Another will be here. And all 32 of them will be free to Insiders. To become an Insider, simply sign up with a free account.

And here are all of the Team Vibes and Players to Target and Avoid articles we've done so far:
Tampa Bay | Tennessee | Washington

Quick Hits

Want a brief overview? Here it is:

• General Vibes - Bad
• We're In On at Cost - Mike Evans
• We're Out On at Cost - Rachaad White

Want a longer breakdown of how it's going in Tampa Bay? Read on.

Buccaneeers, Team Vibes

• Good - 0
• Neutral - 3
• Bad - 13

Staffers with Good Vibes

• None.

Staffers with Neutral Vibes

• Chad Parsons: Would be higher if I trusted Baker Mayfield more with the high-end outcome potential for Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
• Ryan Weisse: I'm sure I'm putting too much faith in Baker Mayfield, but I think he can match what Brady did in 2022.
• Andy Hicks: Those thinking the Buccaneers are in for a fantasy slide didn’t see the numbers from last year. Up is a possibility.

Staffers with Bad Vibes

• Ben Cummins: The combination of Baker Mayfield and/or Kyle Trask at quarterback is going to lead to one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
• Jeff Bell: Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask. Not much else needs to be said.
• Phil Alexander: Can the answer be anything other than bad when you go from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield (or Kyle Trask)?
• Dan Hindery: I hate to overreact to camp tidbits, but the early reports on the quarterback play were not encouraging. This feels like a team that could be tanking for Caleb Williams by the midway point in the season.
• Jason Wood: Likely to be one of the three worst offenses in the NFL. Bad quarterbacking, questionable coaching, uninspired supporting cast.
• Daniel Harms: Just look at the QB room to see how serious they are about competing.
• Jeff Tefertiller: An aging roster that will use 2023 to reset. Going with Mayfield and Trask sends the message of not competing.
• Jeff Haseley: Tampa Bay has a big hill to climb if they are relying on Baker Mayfield to lead them to wins this season.
• Dave Kluge: There’s no way a team can feel good the year after losing the best quarterback of all time, and Tom Brady’s absence will be felt throughout the entire roster.
• Matt Montgomery: You can't win in the NFL without a true leader at QB, and the Buccaneers just don't have that. Match this with aging receiving weapons and a bad running game, and you have a bad season.
• Christian Williams: They don't have a reliable quarterback.
• Justin Howe: You can already hear the groans before Mayfield even starts his wind-up. There may be flashes, but the overall outlook is awful.
• Joey Wright: My Buccaneers-loving heart finds little optimism for the season ahead. See you in 2024 with, hopefully, Caleb Williams steering the ship.

Players We Are Targeting

• Mike Evans - 7
• Rachaad White - 4
• Chris Godwin - 4
• No one - 1

Reasons to be In on Mike Evans

• Chad Parsons: Yet to finish outside of WR24 in his career. The defense and game script likely works for passing volume to give Evans a good shot this season.
• Ben Cummins: Evans is my preference between him and Chris Godwin as the wide receiver that will be able to handle the quarterback downgrade better.
• Daniel Harms: We expect the team to lose a lot of games, which means a lot of garbage time possibility for Evans to score deep touchdowns.
• Jeff Tefertiller: Historically, Evans has a few great games to buoy his fantasy season. That was with Tom Brady. The ceiling has lowered dramatically, just not the price.
• Ryan Weisse: He is a 1,000-yard machine, and that basically makes him a lock to beat his average draft position.
• Justin Howe: Evans remains a walking mismatch on every snap, and he's produced with every Buccaneers passer.
• Andy Hicks: Sure, he has a few risks, but his draft price is falling well below his career-worst finish.

Reasons to be In on Rachaad White

• Jeff Bell: White already saw heavy passing game usage as a rookie. The team will be in trailing game scripts, allowing him to be a major PPR contributor.
• Jeff Haseley: One thing Baker Mayfield can do is check down to his running backs. White should benefit as a result.
• Christian Williams: With a fantastic pass-catching skill set and a quarterback that prefers to hit his check down, White could catch more than 50 balls in 2023.
• Joey Wright: White finished eleventh in the league in receptions among running backs in 2023 and lead all other rookies at his position.

Reasons to be In on Chris Godwin

• Phil Alexander: Assuming Mayfield wins the training camp battle at quarterback, give me the Tampa Bay receiver who runs his routes closer to the line of scrimmage.
• Dan Hindery: The one piece of this offense who could outperform his ADP is Godwin, who should be back to normal now that he is more than 18 months removed from his 2021 torn ACL.
• Dave Kluge: Sure, he won’t be putting up the same production he did with Brady. But still just 27 and another year removed from his ACL tear, he should be the offensive focal point.
• Matt Montgomery: He's the best player on the offense and is arguably the best on the team. He is one of the only Buccaneers worthy of a draft pick.

Reasons to be In on No One

• Jason Wood: This roster is a complete fade for me.

Players We Are Avoiding

• Rachaad White - 5
• Cade Otton - 2
• Chris Godwin - 2
• Baker Mayfield - 2
• Mike Evans - 2
• No One - 2
• Sean Tucker - 1

Reasons to be Out on Rachaad White

• Jason Wood: A back has to be transcendently talented to overcome a poor offense. White is not transcendent.
• Daniel Harms: An average running back on a bad offense won't have much upside.
• Jeff Tefertiller: A below-average back on a team looking to reset is not the place to seek fantasy gold
• Dave Kluge: He was terribly inefficient as a rookie. Projections indicate a huge workload, but I worry that will be split up more than we expect.
• Andy Hicks: Not likely to get the workload and touchdowns required, so has a minimal upside at best.

Reasons to be Out on Cade Otton

• Chad Parsons: A ho-hum talent who has minimal chance to zoom up to fantasy impactful behind two strong wide receivers, plus Rachaad White, in the passing game pecking order.
• Joey Wright: The weakest part of the Buccaneers offense is their tight ends. Most scoring formats don’t give points for blocking, making Otton, or any Buccaneers tight end, not even worthy of a bench spot.

Reasons to be Out on Chris Godwin

• Ben Cummins: Godwin is a talented player, but the downgrade from Tom Brady to a combination of Baker Mayfield and/or Kyle Trask is going to be drastic. I’m out on him at his high cost.
• Jeff Haseley: Both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are in for a drop-off, but if I had to pick one, it would be Godwin who is negatively affected the most.

Reasons to be Out on Baker Mayfield

• Phil Alexander: Even in 2QB leagues.
• Matt Montgomery: I don't trust that he will be the starter in all 17 games this season. This team very well could tank, which would hurt all offensive players.

Reasons to be Out on Mike Evans

• Dan Hindery: He will turn 30 later this summer, and we have to take into account the risk of age-related regression in addition to the massive downgrade at quarterback with Baker Mayfield replacing Tom Brady.
• Christian Williams: Trusting Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask to target a downfield threat invokes discomfort.

Reasons to be Out on No One

• Ryan Weisse: They all feel appropriately priced for players in a questionable offense. There is more reward than risk.
• Justin Howe: I can't identify anyone in the speculative, nowhere-to-go-but-up offense.

Reasons to be Out on Sean Tucker

• Jeff Bell: Let him make the roster first.