Baker Mayfield enters his eighth NFL season with a remarkable tally of coordinators—10 in total—showing how he’s learned to adapt at every stop. Now with the Buccaneers, he’s paired with Josh Grizzard, promoted from within, aiming to push explosive plays while maintaining ball security. Tampa Bay’s 2024 unit finished Top 5 in both passing and rushing, set a franchise passer rating record, and led in third-down efficiency. The challenge: Wirfs’ injury is a hurdle early, but the surrounding cast—Evans, emerging Emeka Egbuka, and a versatile backfield—gives Mayfield a credible ceiling again.

The Browns have cycled through quarterbacks since 1999, turning a once-stable position into a revolving door that reshaped fantasy expectations year to year. Joe Flacco being named starter for 2025 caps a long arc of uncertainty, with familiar names like Couch, Detmer, Hoyer, Mayfield, and Watson flashing peak value only in fits and bursts. For fantasy folks, the takeaway is that Cleveland’s offense often surges in spurts, then stalls as the QB carousel spins again.

Baker Mayfield stands out as the clearest high-ceiling era for fantasy in the Browns’ modern run, especially when health and supporting cast align. Deshaun Watson showed elite upside in brief windows, but suspensions and surrounding offense tempered weekly production. The longer the Browns go without a true stabilizing QB, the more weekly streaming and matchup-based decisions will define Cleveland fantasy outputs, particularly for pass-catchers and backfield work.

In practice, this history argues for a cautious but opportunistic approach: target Browns pass-catchers in favorable matchups and lean into streaming QBs when the defense slants toward them. With Flacco aboard in 2025, expect a mix of veteran steadiness and game-planned aggression that could unlock weeks of solid fantasy numbers, even if consistency remains a challenge across the season.

The 2025 fantasy QB scene is clearly tiered: the elite group—Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Jalen Hurts—goes early, with more than a dozen names in the next cluster fighting for value. The piece argues that this year a bust isn’t about a fantasy QB failing on the field, but about the cost paid in drafts. It highlights Baker Mayfield and Bo Nix as busts due to ADP, while labeling Jordan Love and Justin Fields as sleeper values who can deliver top-12 weeks if their surrounding rosters and health cooperate.

The Buccaneers snapped a tight preseason opener into a win over the Steelers, riding a wave of efficient plays from their QB room and sharp moments from a handful of youngsters to push for roster spots. Teddy Bridgewater stepped into a reliable No. 2 role, orchestrating two crisp scoring drives and showing veteran poise. Rookie Jacob Parrish teased with decisive ball skills, while Emeka Egbuka flashed with his first NFL TD. Zyon McCollum grabbed an INT and looked more confident in coverage, Kindle Vildor anchored the secondary with a pick and key breakups. On the flip side, Jamel Dean had a rough sequence, Charlie Heck struggled in protection, and Kyle Trask’s 3-for-10 night fed HC questions about the QB2 competition. The game underscored depth chart conversations in a crowded roster battle, while Baker Mayfield stood behind Bridgewater as the veteran engine for the offense.

For fantasy bettors, Bridgewater’s solid efficiency bodes well for a reliable late-round QB2, especially given Mayfield’s starter role. Parrish’s special-teams/coverage flashes could translate into regular defensive depth looks, while McCollum and Vildor offer intriguing rotational upside in a secondary that’ll lean on playmakers this season. Egbuka’s polish and a continued uptick in McCollum’s reads signal growing day-one contribution potential. Trask and Heck remain on a tight leash, with Trask needing a cleaner outing to defend a potential QB2 chase. Overall, the Bucs showcased a path to flexibility in August, with several players stepping into fantasy-friendly roles.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers stretched their NFC South dynasty with a 10-7 season in 2024, driven by a revitalized Baker Mayfield who logged 4,500 yards and 41 TDs on a 71.4% completion rate while guiding a top-5 scoring attack. The unit leaned on Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to anchor a deep WR corps, with Emeka Egbuka added in round one to bolster the upside. An injury to Tristan Wirfs could test the line early, even as the defense nudges back toward form with Haason Reddick adding punch at the edge. The punting upgrade Riley Dixon is among the notable late offseason moves. Off the field, Tampa Bay’s stay-the-course approach kept continuity and set up a 2025 run at more wins and a fifth straight division title. The team sits in the mix for major futures and player props, including a nine-and-a-half win total and Evans in the TD-column, as Mayfield continues to throw the ball at a prolific rate.

Looking ahead, the Bucs aren’t weathering a complete rebuild; they’re refining an already potent offense and injecting youth at receiver to keep the ceiling high. The schedule sets up with several road games early, testing early cohesion behind Wirfs’ absence. A rising pass rush with Reddick could stabilize a defense that hasn’t been elite in recent seasons, while Mayfield’s late-career surge emphasizes a high-volume pass game. Bettors and fantasy managers will weigh the offense’s depth against the line’s health and the division’s challengers, with NFC South odds making a fifth straight title plausible but not guaranteed.