The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to start the post-Tom Brady era and will do so with either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask at quarterback in 2023. The team still has fantasy-viable weapons in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rachaad White, but the overall effectiveness of the offense is uncertain.
The NFC South is arguably the weakest division in the NFL and the NFC as a whole is weaker than the AFC. That said, it's too early to simply write off Tampa Bay as playoff contenders.
Who do the Buccaneers play in 2023 and how does the schedule set up for fantasy football success? Let's dive in.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023 Schedule
- Week 1: 9/10 at Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 PM, CBS
- Week 2: 9/17 vs. Chicago Bears, 1:00 PM, FOX
- Week 3: 9/25 vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Monday), 7:15 PM, ABC
- Week 4: 10/1 at New Orleans Saints, 1:00 PM, FOX
- Week 5: BYE WEEK
- Week 6: 10/15 vs. Detroit Lions, 1:00 PM, FOX
- Week 7: 10/22 vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 PM, FOX
- Week 8: 10/26 at Buffalo Bills (Thursday), 8:15 PM, Amazon Prime Video
- Week 9: 11/5 at Houston Texans, 1:00 PM, CBS
- Week 10: 11/12 vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:00 PM, CBS
- Week 11: 11/19 at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 PM, FOX
- Week 12: 11/26 at Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 PM, CBS
- Week 13: 12/3 vs. Carolina Panthers, 1:00 PM, CBS
- Week 14: 12/10 at Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 PM, CBS
- Week 15: 12/17 at Green Bay Packers, 1:00 PM, FOX
- Week 16: 12/24 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 4:05 PM, CBS
- Week 17: 12/31 vs. New Orleans Saints, 1:00 PM, FOX
- Week 18: TBD at Carolina Panthers, TBD, TBD
According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Buccaneers have the 13th-easiest schedule in the NFL, so all in all, it's a middle-of-the-road draw. The rest of the NFC South teams have easier schedules since they finished lower in the division last season, but the Bucs schedule is manageable in 2023.
2023 Buccaneers Schedule Analysis for Fantasy Football
Tampa Bay faces seven teams who had bottom-10 defenses against fantasy quarterbacks last season and only see four teams who were top-10 defenses against signal-callers. That said, Trask or Mayfield could find success in spots next season.
Rachaad White and other Bucs RBs will face the two worst defenses against fantasy RBs last season (Houston, Chicago), but they'll also see matchups against top-three fantasy RB stoppers from last season in San Francisco and Tennessee.
Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Russell Gage get matchups with the three worst defenses at stopping fantasy wideouts last year (Minnesota, Tennessee, Detroit) and only face one top-seven defense in that category from last year (Houston).
All in all, there are some smash spots for Tampa's fantasy assets, but again, it's tough to project the team to have a great offense under one of Trask or Mayfield. As of now, there are no glaring juicy nor concerning matchups for the fantasy football playoffs. The Bucs will face the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, and Jacksonville Jaguars in the three weeks that the fantasy football playoffs are underway in most leagues.
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