In the 30th of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Key Off Season Acquisition
The Buccaneers signed safety Jordan Whitehead of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania in the offseason to a two-year contract worth $9 million. The Buccaneers are actually bringing Whitehead back. He was initially with the Buccaneers from 2018 to 2021, before two seasons with the New York Jets in 2022 and 2023. In 2023, Whitehead had 97 combined tackles (65 solo tackles and 32 assisted tackles), three tackles for a loss, one quarterback hit, four interceptions for six yards, nine pass deflections and half a sack. The quarterback hit and half a sack came came on Christmas Eve. The Jets defeated the Washington Commanders 30-28.
In his initial time with the Buccaneers, Whitehead played in 59 games for Tampa Bay. He had 292 combined tackles (222 solo tackles and 70 assisted tackles), 22 tackles for a loss, five quarterback hits, five interceptions for 37 yards, 25 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
The sacks came for the Buccaneers during the 2020 NFL season in Tampa Bay victories. The first came in a 28-10 Tampa Bay win over the Denver Broncos on September 27, 2020, and the second came in a 38-31 Tampa Bay win over the Los Angeles Chargers on October 4, 2020.
Whitehead was also part of the Buccaneers team that won Super Bowl LV. In a game that saw the Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9, Whitehead had two solo tackles.
Fantasy Star
Wide receiver Mike Evans of Galveston, Texas is 10th among wide receivers. Last season he had 79 catches for 1255 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.
Projected Finish
The Buccaneers exceeded expectations last season and ended up winning the NFC South. After finishing first in 2023, I am picking them to finish second this year. The reason is because the Falcons should be better with quarterback Kirk Cousins at the helm.
