The NFL landscape changes yearly. The variance spreads from free agent signings, NFL Draft picks, coaching hires and more. Understanding what a team’s offensive scheme could look like and meshing that with relevant nuggets from the previous year helps shape our view of teams and players for the upcoming season. 

That’s where this series will come in handy. Discussing pace, red zone usage, deep passing and everything in between, I’m venturing down the rabbit hole to provide context for all 32 NFL teams and the fantasy football players you’ll select this year.

NFC East

• Philadelphia Eagles Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
• Dallas Cowboys Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
• New York Giants Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
• Washington Commander Stats to Know & Top Takeaways

NFC North

• Green Bay Packers Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
• Minnesota Vikings Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
• Detroit Lions Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
• Chicago Bears Stats to Know & Top Takeaways

NFC South

• Carolina Panthers Stats to Know & Top Takeaways
• Atlanta Falcons Stats to Know & Top Takeaways

*All data utilized in this article courtesy of FantasyPros, PFF, Football Outsiders. Rotoviz, and Playerprofiler.com unless otherwise specified.*

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fantasy Football Stats to Know:

• Last season Russell Gage ranked 12th in overall route win rate and win rate against man coverage. 
• Last year the Buccaneers ranked second in passing and rushing offensive success rate from 11 personnel. Tampa Bay utilized three wide receiver sets at the sixth-highest rate (69%).
• Mike Evans has seen his yards per route run drop in each of the last four seasons. Last year he ranked 32nd out of 90 wide receivers (minimum 50 targets). 
• Leonard Fournette has ranked 40th, sixth, 41st, 23rd and 27th in yards per route run in his career among running backs (minimum 20 targets).
• During his final season at Arizona State, Rachaad White was ninth in yards per route run and the third-highest graded receiving back in college football (minimum 20 targets). 
• Mike Evans’ splits since 2017 without Chris Godwin
  • PPR ppg: 15.8 → 19.9
  • Receptions: 4.78 → 5.57
  • Receiving TDs: 0.58 → 1.14
  • Targets per game: 8.14 → 8.43
• Tom Brady ranked sixth in true completion rate, second in money throws and third in EPA per play last year. 
• Ke’Shawn Vaughn ranked sixth in yards after contact per attempt, third in breakaway percentage and sixth in elusive rating last year (per PFF, minimum 50 carries).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Top Fantasy Football Takeaways

The 2022 outlook for the Buccaneers begins with discussing the GOAT. The captain of this fantasy points scoring super vessel, Tom Brady. Last year Brady showed no dropoff in his skills, finishing the season as the second-highest graded passer per PFF (minimum 100 dropbacks). Even if Brady takes a small step back this season, he will still be among the best quarterbacks in the league. 

Looking at other areas where the Bucs could take a step back, Chris Godwin’s name jumps to the forefront. Godwin’s health and projection for this year are murky at the moment. If Godwin gets off to a slow start or is held out for an extended period to begin the season, the offense could keep trucking along without missing a beat because of their offseason addition of Russell Gage. Gage has displayed the ability to work inside and win on the perimeter. Mike Evans could also shoulder a heavy load, as his splits without Godwin foreshadow a massive ceiling as Brady’s snuggly security blanket. 

Tampa Bay’s offensive success with three wide sets last year in all facets could lead them to continue utilizing the formation at a high rate even without Godwin active. Cyril Grayson stepped up in a small sample last year (13 targets), racking up 2.94 yards per route run. The Buccaneers will remain among the most pass-heavy and 11 personnel-heavy teams in the NFL. 

Leonard Fournette was a trusted weapon through the air for Brady last year and likely will continue this season, but Rachaad White could cut into his routes. White is a top-shelf receiving talent at the running back position. White could carve out a stand-alone role from Week 1 if Fournette’s conditioning isn’t up to snuff or the team is focused on keeping him fresh for the entire season. If Fournette were to miss time, White could be the three-down handcuff to target this year, but don’t sleep on how efficient Ke’Shawn Vaughn was last year toting the rock. Without Fournette, the backfield could easily dissolve into a tandem approach, with Vaughn handling the early down grinding and White running routes weekly. Tampa Bay remains well stocked on offense and primed for another banner season.

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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.