Buccaneers @ Panthers
Final Score: Buccaneers 26 – 23 Panthers
Writer: Christian Otteman (@COttemanPL on Twitter)
In an NFC South matchup between two teams trending in opposite directions, it took more than 60 minutes to decide a victor as the Buccaneers finally earned the win late in overtime, defeating the Panthers, 26-23. Bryce Young continued his tremendous turnaround, becoming one of the league’s best comeback stories, while Bucky Irving took over the Bucs backfield, perhaps definitively. With a handful of stellar fantasy performances in this sneaky shootout, here’s what we saw!
Four Up
- Bucky Irving – Holy smokes did Irving look good today. Many analysts had this matchup as a smash spot for Irving, and he delivered late in the game by ripping off chunk play after chunk play and scoring a crucial TD to put the Bucs back ahead. League winner type of player. Hopefully you were lucky enough to grab him.
- Bryce Young – Young fell just 2 yards shy of 300 passing yards and continues to show signs of development after his benching earlier this season. Perhaps there’s some hope here after all. I’m rooting for him.
- Mike Evans – The Buccaneers are seemingly going to do everything they can to lift Evans to 1000 yards receiving once again, and his hamstring looks healthy enough to make it happen.
- Adam Thielen – One of the best things a developing QB can have is a veteran presence at receiver to give him easy targets. Thielen was just that for Bryce Young today and is worth FLEX consideration in future matchups.
Three Down
- Rachaad White – Look at me. Bucky is the captain now.
- Baker Mayfield – Baker was careless with the football at times, made some bad decisions, and also injured his ankle during this scrappy divisional game. We’ve seen enough to trust him in future matchups, but this was far from his best.
- Eddy Pineiro – It seems neither Pineiro nor Justin Tucker want to be the NFL’s most accurate kicker in history. Pineiro missed 2 field goals, which would come back to bite the Panthers at the end of this game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield: 21/33, 235 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT | 3 carries, 8 yards
For as strong of a season as he’s had in 2024, this was not the best performance for Baker Mayfield. Baker made a couple of critical mistakes, throwing a pair of picks to the Panthers right when momentum was starting to build for Tampa Bay. He also had his ankle rolled up on one of the sacks he took, which will be worth monitoring in this week’s practice reports. Unsurprisingly, Baker missed as little time as possible and came back out of the blue medical tent and onto the field to will his team to victory alongside Bucky Irving. Mayfield was clearly not 100% after the injury. His scrambling ability may be limited in Week 14 against the Raiders, but it’s still a solid matchup that will have him around the low-end QB1 ranks.
Kyle Trask: 1/1, 5 yards
Trask came in for a couple of snaps while Mayfield had his ankle attended to.
Running Back
Bucky Irving: 25 carries, 152 yards, 1 TD | 3/3 receiving, 33 yards
If there’s one way to describe this game, it’s as Bucky Irving’s coming-out party. Irving received his largest workload of the season by a wide margin and delivered handsomely in the second half, breaking off chunk play after chunk play to eventually put the Bucs ahead 17-16. He looked explosive, agile, and every bit the part of a lead running back. He’ll no doubt continue to cede some work to the other RBs in this backfield, but he should be the RB1 here moving forward. It’s a great matchup to keep things rolling against the Raiders next week.
Rachaad White: 11 carries, 76 yards | 1/1 receiving, 2 yards
Rachaad White broke off a long run to set up the game winning field goal in overtime but was otherwise unremarkable, especially when compared to Irving. He was given the ball on a 3rd and 1 on the Panthers’ 2-yard line and was completely stuffed, forcing the Bucs to settle for a field goal. Even more concerning is the diminished passing game role this week, which is what’s kept White afloat as a fantasy asset. He’ll be a low-end FLEX option next week at best.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Mike Evans: 8/12 receiving, 118 yards, 1 TD
If there were any lingering concerns about Mike Evans and his hamstring injury, they should be all but gone after this game. Evans looked like his typical self, using his size and athleticism to bring in a tough touchdown catch and acting as Baker’s go-to guy for the entire length of the game. Evans’ weekly upside and usage in this offense should keep him as a WR1 in next week’s game against the Raiders.
Sterling Shepard: 4/7 receiving, 42 yards
The target total is promising, but the overall production isn’t. Shepard isn’t a worthwhile option in fantasy, though he’s been a useful real-life piece for the Bucs, filling in for their many injuries at the position.
Jalen McMillan: 2/3 receiving, 25 yards
Another unproductive day for the rookie, who is merely a Dynasty stash at this point.
Cade Otton: 4/7 receiving, 20 yards
It’s not surprising to see Cade Otton‘s role shrinking with the return of Mike Evans, but the yardage totals are concerning in terms of his viability as a streamer or low-end TE1 moving forward. Since Evans’ return, he has only 50 yards on 10 targets. It may be time to turn to other options at the TE position for now.
Trey Palmer: 0/1 receiving
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Bryce Young: 26/46, 298 yards, 1 TD | 3 carries, 17 yards, 1 TD
Yet another step in the right direction for Bryce Young, who continues to look like a completely different version of his pre-benching self. Young showed off his legs in this one, scoring a touchdown both on the ground and through the air to keep the Panthers ahead for most of the game. Young fell just shy of 300 passing yards but managed to take care of the ball and made good decisions for basically the entire game. In a week with six teams on bye, Young has streaming viability in Superflex leagues, but it’s a tough matchup against the Eagles. Temper expectations for that one.
Running Back
Chuba Hubbard: 12 carries, 43 yards
One of the least productive games of the season for Chuba Hubbard, and perhaps most concerning was that he did not receive a a single target in the passing game. Hubbard gave the game away for the Panthers in overtime by losing a fumble, which may impact his opportunities moving forward. The Panthers will continue to get rookie Jonathon Brooks work, which will prove detrimental to the fantasy stocks of both RBs. Hubbard has had a fantastic season, but it’s tough to trust him as more than a FLEX option next week.
Jonathon Brooks: 6 carries, 18 yards | 3/3 receiving, 23 yards
It’s still not an explosive performance from the rookie, but it was a good sign to see Brooks get more involved in his second NFL game. He’s an intriguing bench stash for the playoffs if Hubbard sees a reduced role after losing a fumble in overtime, but Brooks doesn’t have standalone starting value for now.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Adam Thielen: 8/10 receiving, 99 yards, 1 TD
Thielen turned back the clock in this one, catching the go-ahead score late in the 4th to give the Panthers the lead before the Bucs would tie it as time expired. Thielen was constantly open and made some solid grabs, including another touchdown that could have been called either way at the end of the first half. Thielen may have secured the ball, but no video angle could reverse the incomplete call on the field. It’s possible we’ll see FLEX potential from Thielen in the fantasy playoffs, but next week’s matchup against the Eagles will be challenging.
Tommy Tremble: 5/8 targets, 77 yards
Tommy Tremble excelled as the team’s leading tight end with rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders sidelined for this one. He won’t be a recommended streamer moving forward due to his lack of production up to this point.
Xavier Legette: 4/8 receiving, 53 yards
The promising rookie took a back seat to the proven veteran in this one, though the 8 targets were still a promising total for Xavier Legette. He’s a low-end FLEX or WR4 option against a tough Eagles secondary in Week 14, though he remains trending up in Dynasty leagues. It will be interesting to see how his chemistry with Young continues to develop in the last few weeks of the season.
David Moore: 5/9 receiving, 40 yards
Moore received plenty of targets in this one but will likely be relegated to a smaller role when Jalen Coker and Ja’Tavion Sanders are able to return to the lineup.
Dan Chisena: 1/1 receiving, 6 yards
Felipe Franks: 0/1 receiving
Stephen Sullivan: 0/1 receiving