2018’s Best Fantasy Football Player: Mike Evans, Wide Receiver
2018’s Biggest Fantasy Football Disappointment: Ronald “1.9 YPC” Jones II
2019 Fantasy Football Draft Wishlist: Running Back, Offensive Line, Speedy Wide Receiver
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a wild 2018 season. We had Ryan Fitzpatrick do his Fitzmagic routine. Then he failed and we went to Jameis Winston, then back to Fitz. Then back to Jameis. Not since Michael Scott did we have more painful and frequent reversals. Fast forward to 2019, and there are some things to get excited about in Tampa Bay. Most of it has to do with the arrival of Bruce Arians, but Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin. Things get hinky after that, as Ronald Jones II and Peyton Barber are your running backs, and Breshad Perriman is your WR3. Bruce Arians great, but not a miracle worker. The Buccaneers need to do some deft drafting for fantasy football owners to glean their full value in 2019.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fantasy Football Wishlist, Item 1: A Top Flight Running Back
The Buccaneers whiffed pretty hard on Ronald Jones II, who looked exceptionally overwhelmed by future used car salesmen in the preseason, and unsurprisingly things got worse from there. Peyton Barber chucked aside the common notion that he is Peyton Barber, and remained the RB1 all season long. That can’t stand, not with Bruce Arians, who showed he can feature a top-flight RB in Arizona, at the helm. He’s likely pounding the table to get a guy like Josh Jacobs into the building if he is available to them in the second round. This one is a true wishlist item, as it would be the best-case scenario for Jacobs for fantasy football in 2019, but it’s unlikely to happen. Jacobs is likely to go in the mid-20s, well outside the Tampa Bay selection or reasonable trade up range.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fantasy Football Wishlist, Item 2: Offensive Line
In 2018, only Ali Marpet graded out as above average on Pro Football Focus. The line was a mess and was a big reason why Ronald Jones II busted out last season. They also failed to adequately protect Jameis and Fitzpatrick. They need to get better at four of the five spots along the line, and that has nothing to do with fantasy football. Granted, improving the O-Line will help out everyone across the board for fantasy football, but it is especially necessary for fantasy football in 2019.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fantasy Football Wishlist, Item 3: Speedy Wide Receiver
The Bucs have Mike Evans, who is one of the best wideouts in the game, and Chris Godwin to work underneath. They let DeSean Jackson, who seemed to have never been happy in Tampa Bay, go back to Philadelphia. That leaves a gaping hole in the Buccaneers offense for fantasy football production for a team that had the second-most 20+ yard pass plays in the NFL last year. They’ll need to get a speedster in the draft, and only time will tell if it will be a high priced one like Marquise Brown, or a value guy like Andy Isabella. Either way, reintroducing the speed element to the Buccaneers offense is just what the fantasy football doctor ordered for 2019.
Check out all of our 2019 NFL draft coverage, here
