Jameis Winston was drafted number one overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015. He entered the NFL as a Heisman trophy-winning National Champion out of Florida State. He set franchise rookie records for passing yards, pass attempts, pass completions, and passing touchdowns as a year-one starter. He was also selected to play in the 2016 Pro Bowl his rookie year.
His sophomore campaign saw him better his accolade-loaded rookie season by marking improvement across the board. He was also the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in his first two seasons. Winston led the Bucs to their first winning season in six years and added franchise records in passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season. A star was born, and nothing could stop him.
Like any great story, all the news doesn’t end up being good. Unfortunately, Winston’s next two seasons would see his stellar career beginnings start to lose their shine. He had an injury-plagued 2017, and coming into the 2018 season, he was accused of groping a female Uber driver. That summer, it was announced that he would receive a three-game suspension for that transgression. As a result, he spent the rest of that season splitting playing time with Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The following season they brought in Bruce Arians to coach the team. The 2019 season proved to be one of Winston’s best statistical campaigns. He threw for over 5,000 yards and 30 TDs while setting career records for attempts, yards, and completions. Unfortunately, he also set career highs in turnovers with 30 interceptions and five lost fumbles. That season marked the end of the Jameis Winston era in Tampa. In 2020 the Bucs signed Tom Brady, and the rest is history in the making.
Jameis Winston was drafted number one overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015. He entered the NFL as a Heisman trophy-winning National Champion out of Florida State. He set franchise rookie records for passing yards, pass attempts, pass completions, and passing touchdowns as a year-one starter. He was also selected to play in the 2016 Pro Bowl his rookie year.
His sophomore campaign saw him better his accolade-loaded rookie season by marking improvement across the board. He was also the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in his first two seasons. Winston led the Bucs to their first winning season in six years and added franchise records in passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season. A star was born, and nothing could stop him.
Like any great story, all the news doesn’t end up being good. Unfortunately, Winston’s next two seasons would see his stellar career beginnings start to lose their shine. He had an injury-plagued 2017, and coming into the 2018 season, he was accused of groping a female Uber driver. That summer, it was announced that he would receive a three-game suspension for that transgression. As a result, he spent the rest of that season splitting playing time with Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The following season they brought in Bruce Arians to coach the team. The 2019 season proved to be one of Winston’s best statistical campaigns. He threw for over 5,000 yards and 30 TDs while setting career records for attempts, yards, and completions. Unfortunately, he also set career highs in turnovers with 30 interceptions and five lost fumbles. That season marked the end of the Jameis Winston era in Tampa. In 2020 the Bucs signed Tom Brady, and the rest is history in the making.
Make or Break
After signing with the Saints in 2020 to backup Drew Brees, Winston was propelled into the starting role in 2021 after Brees announced his retirement. Winston started seven games for the Saints before suffering a knee injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the season. Nevertheless, he played well enough to earn a two-year, 28 million contract to take the wheel of the Saints in 2022.
The 2022 season is a crossroads for Winston. He has shown he has what it takes to play at a high level in the NFL. However, immaturity issues and poor decision-making on the field have led him to the point of “show up or get out” status. This will be the final season he is given the starting job outright if he doesn’t prove he can take care of the ball. He does have the advantage of the Saints using their first two draft picks in the 2022 draft on offense. They moved up to select a nice pass-catcher in Chris Olave, WR from Ohio State. They also added a pass protector with Trevor Penning, OT from Northern Iowa.
His dynasty value has him checking in at number 27 in the FantasyPros consensus dynasty rankings. Additionally, this season, he has some under-the-radar Superflex (SF) value as the undisputed starter. He can stay on the waiver wire or the end of your bench in standard one QB leagues as a bye week fill-in.
His value has him sneaking up to number 24 in the FantasyPros consensus rankings in redraft. The same advice applies as in dynasty. He is on the bench or waiver wire in standard leagues, and in SF/two-QB leagues, he would be an ideal third quarterback for bye weeks and injuries.
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Gary Zamarripa is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Gary, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @garyzamFF.