Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Guts out playoff-clinching win
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Mayfield completed 21 of 32 passes for 221 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and rushed nine times for 68 yards in the Buccaneers' 27-19 win over the Saints on Sunday.
Mayfield's solid but ordinary numbers tell the tale of a game during which he had to work for everything he achieved against a feisty Saints defense. The veteran signal-caller also had to frequently take matters in his own hands, leading to a season high in rushing yards. Mayfield extended his streak of games with multiple touchdowns to five by connecting with Payne Durham (six yards) and Jalen McMillan (32 yards) for second-half scoring tosses, and he was able to get Mike Evans the final five yards he needed to get to the 1,000-yard mark for the season on the last play of the contest. Having helped usher Tampa Bay to the NFC South crown, Mayfield will now turn his attention to a to-be-determined matchup on Super Wild Card Weekend.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: QBs to Start
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The Buccaneers need to win this game to lock up the NFC South title, and Mayfield is on fire heading into Week 18. He has scored at least 25 Fantasy points in four games in a row, and he scored 33.9 Fantasy points at New Orleans in Week 6. The Saints have also allowed two of the past three opposing quarterbacks to score at least 21.6 Fantasy points, and Mayfield has top-five upside in Week 18.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Five-touchdown day in win
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Mayfield completed 27 of 32 passes for 359 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed once for two yards in the Buccaneers' 48-14 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
The Buccaneers were in must-win mode as a whole, and Mayfield was the personification of that mindset right from the start of the lopsided victory. The veteran signal-caller capped off a crisp opening drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans, and he connected with his No. 1 target again from one yard out in the second quarter. Mayfield would also facilitate end-zone trips for Jalen McMillan (10, 16 yards) and Payne Durham (five yards) before the afternoon was over, tying a career high and establishing a new season-best tally in scoring tosses. Mayfield also pushed his career-high season touchdown total to 39 with his fourth straight multi-TD effort, and he'll have a chance to build on all of his stellar numbers during a Week 18 home battle versus the Saints.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: QBs to Start
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The last time Mayfield played the Panthers in Week 13, he was bad with 12.2 Fantasy points. Since then, he's scored at least 25 Fantasy points in three games in a row against the Raiders, Chargers, and Cowboys, and I expect him to stay hot in this matchup at home. Carolina is No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and three quarterbacks in a row have scored at least 22.4 Fantasy points against the Panthers coming into Week 17.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Tops 300 passing yards in loss
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Mayfield completed 31 of 43 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 26-24 loss to the Cowboys. He added three rushing attempts for 42 yards.
Mayfield was quiet for most of the first half but heated up on Tampa Bay's last possession before halftime. He completed three passes of 15-plus yards on the drive before capping it with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan. That improvement didn't last long, though, as the Buccaneers produced just three points in the third quarter. Mayfield was evaluated for a concussion in the fourth quarter but was cleared to return without missing a play. He was intercepted on the next drive but then bounced back with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Miller with 2:36 remaining to kickstart a Buccaneers comeback that was gaining steam when a Rachaad White fumble dashed Tampa Bay's hopes. No longer in control of their own destiny in the NFC South, Mayfield and the Buccaneers will try to bounce back in Week 17 against the Panthers.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Logs full practice Thursday
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Mayfield (knee) was a full practice participant Thursday.
Mayfield was held out of drills Wednesday due to a knee injury, but his return to all activity one day later sets him up to continue to direct the Buccaneers offense Sunday at Dallas, whose defense has given up the second-most combined touchdowns (21 passing, eight rushing) to opposing quarterbacks in 14 contests this season.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: QBs to Start
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Mayfield has looked like an elite Fantasy quarterback again in the past two games against the Raiders and Chargers with at least 25 points in each outing, and he should stay hot in Week 16 at Dallas. Six of the past nine quarterbacks against the Cowboys have scored at least 23.8 Fantasy points, and Mayfield has finally found his second receiver in Jalen McMillan to help Mike Evans. Mayfield has top-five upside in Week 16.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Top DFS Play
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Baker Mayfield has re-emerged as a top-five QB this week, and he's my favorite value on the slate at QB. Stack him with Mike Evans and CeeDee Lamb and find somewhere else to go contrarian (more on that below).
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Throws four TDs in statement win
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Mayfield completed 22 of 27 pass attempts for 288 yards, four touchdowns and one interception while rushing twice for 25 yards in Sunday's 40-17 rout of the Chargers.
Mayfield posted a stellar 135.3 passer rating en route to a lopsided victory between cross-conference playoff hopefuls. The four scores also helped the 2018 first-overall pick set a new high-water mark in touchdown passes (32) in a single season. Mayfield continues to prove that last year's breakout with Tampa Bay was no fluke, as he is now 383 yards away from recording consecutive 4,000-yard campaigns. It would take a season-best effort against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in Week 16 to accomplish the feat, but the late-blooming QB makes for a strong fantasy play whether or not he hits the 4K mark in passing yards next Sunday.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Perseveres through picks in win
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Mayfield completed 18 of 29 passes for 295 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions while adding two rushes for 12 yards in the Buccaneers' 28-13 win over the Raiders on Sunday. He also lost a fumble.
Mayfield ultimately finished with an impressive yardage and touchdown total, but his road to those numbers was rocky at times. The veteran signal-caller took four sacks from an aggressive Raiders defense and tossed a pair of first-half interceptions following a fast start. Prior to the miscues, Mayfield had capped off the Buccaneers' first two drives with touchdown passes to Jalen McMillan (15 yards) and Rachaad White (five yards). He also came on late after Tampa Bay's first two second-half drives ended in punts, capping off a five-play game-sealing drive with a 29-yard scoring strike to McMillan. Mayfield does have four interceptions over his last two games, but he's also tossed four touchdowns in that span going into a Week 15 road matchup against the Chargers.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Practices in full Thursday
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Mayfield (Achilles/knee) practiced fully Thursday.
Mayfield was absent for two plays during this past Sunday's overtime win at Carolina. Afterward, coach Todd Bowles relayed that Mayfield was dealing with some soreness after he was cleated in the back of his right leg by a Panthers defender, but the Buccaneers also weren't worried about the quarterback's Week 14 availability, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. On Wednesday's estimated injury report, Mayfield was listed as full at the team's walkthrough with Achilles and knee issues. He followed that up one day later with another uncapped session, thereby paving the way for him to continue to lead Tampa Bay's offense Sunday against the Raiders.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: QBs to Start
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Mayfield struggled as the Start of the Week in Week 13 at Carolina with 12.2 Fantasy points, and he injured his leg during the overtime win. I expect him to bounce back in Week 14 against the Raiders at home, and he has top-five upside in this matchup. Four of the past five quarterbacks against Las Vegas have scored at least 22.2 Fantasy points, and Mayfield has scored at least 28.3 Fantasy points in four of six home games this season.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Ready to practice in full
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Head coach Todd Bowles said that Mayfield (leg) will be a full participant in Wednesday's walk-through practice, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Bowles confirmed that Mayfield was dealing with right leg soreness following the team's 26-23 overtime win over the Panthers this past Sunday, after the quarterback was spotted limping around in the locker room following the contest. On a positive note, Mayfield looks to have mostly moved past the injury, as Bowles noted that the quarterback would have been a full participant even if Tampa Bay had held a more traditional practice session to kick off Week 14 prep. Assuming he experiences no complications during practices Thursday and Friday, Mayfield should head into the weekend without a designation for Sunday's game against the Raiders. The home matchup with a 2-10 Las Vegas squad provides Mayfield with a good bounce-back opportunity after the Panthers contained him to 235 passing yards and one touchdown while intercepting him twice in Week 13.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Nursing sore leg
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Head coach Todd Bowles said that Mayfield is dealing with some soreness after being cleated in the back of his right leg during Sunday's 26-23 overtime win over the Panthers, but the Buccaneers anticipate the quarterback being ready to play in the team's Week 14 game versus the Raiders, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Mayfield missed just two of the Buccaneers' offensive snaps in the overtime victory, completing 21 of 33 pass attempts for 235 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while carrying three times for eight yards on the day. The 29-year-old looks to have avoided anything serious, but he was spotted walking around with a limp in the locker room following the contest. Though the Buccaneers expect Mayfield to be healthy enough to play through the injury next Sunday at home versus the Raiders, his practice activity could be more limited than usual leading up to that contest.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Struggles in win
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Mayfield completed 21 of 33 passes for 235 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Sunday's 26-23 overtime win against the Panthers. He added three rushes for eight yards.
Mayfield had a poor showing for much of the game, as he managed only two scoring drives through three quarters while going 10-for-21 with a two-yard touchdown, two interceptions and 121 yards. However, he closed the game by going 11-for-12 for 114 yards, while leading both a game-tying and game-winning drive at the close of the fourth quarter and overtime, respectively. Mayfield also played banged-up for much of the second half, which caused him to miss a few plays. Per Joe Person of The Athletic, he was also spotted with a boot on his right foot after the game.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Another impressive showing in win
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Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes for 294 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed four times for 29 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 30-7 win over the Giants on Sunday. He also committed two fumbles, losing one, and recovered a loose ball as well.
Mayfield had an eventful afternoon in the lopsided win, bouncing back from consecutive lackluster efforts through the air to post his highest sub-300-yard total of the campaign. Mayfield did see a season-long streak of games with at least one touchdown pass snapped, but he had an even more direct hand in a score with his third rushing touchdown of the season on a leaping 10-yard run just before halftime. Mayfield welcomed Mike Evans back from a three-game absence due to a hamstring injury by connecting with him on five occasions for 68 yards, and the veteran signal-caller also suffered a scare on a neck stinger in the fourth quarter but didn't miss a play. The 2018 first overall pick lines up for another productive afternoon when the Bucs visit the Panthers for a Week 13 divisional clash.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: QBs to Start
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Mayfield had his six-game streak with at least 22 Fantasy points snapped in Week 10 against San Francisco, but I expect him to get back on track coming off his bye in Week 11. Mike Evans (hamstring) is expected to return in Week 12 against the Giants, who have allowed at least 23.8 Fantasy points to two of the past four opposing quarterbacks. Mayfield has failed to score at least 20.8 Fantasy points just once this season when Evans was healthy.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Top DFS Play
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Mayfield has produced multiple touchdowns in eight of 10 starts this season. He's getting Mike Evans back. He feels like one of the safest QBs on the board, and he's not priced as a top-five option. I'm playing him in cash games, though in that format, I'm not sure I'm stacking him with anyone.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Stymied repeatedly in loss
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Mayfield completed 18 of 29 passes for 116 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions and added three rushing yards on three carries in the Buccaneers' 23-20 loss to the 49ers on Sunday. He also committed three fumbles, recovering two.
Mayfield averaged just 4.0 yards per attempt and was sacked twice, and he ultimately was frustrated repeatedly while working against a talented defense with a short-handed pass-catching corps. Mayfield couldn't facilitate anything more than a 39-yard performance for his pass catchers on the way to his lowest yardage total of the season. However, Mayfield was able to drive Tampa Bay into position for a game-tying field goal late before San Francisco answered with one of its own to win the game. Mayfield and the Bucs now head into a Week 11 bye, and the veteran signal-caller should have Mike Evans (hamstring) at his disposal when Tampa Bay returns to action against the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 24.
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Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Cleared to face 49ers
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Mayfield (toe) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against San Francisco, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Mayfield was held out of practice earlier in the week before returning Friday. Bucs RB Bucky Irving (toe) and WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring) also avoided injury designations, while WR Mike Evans (hamstring) has been ruled out, and WR Jalen McMillan (hamstring) is listed as questionable.
