Entering the 2014 season, the Bucs had high hopes for a good year after bringing in new head coach Lovie Smith and were even a popular dark horse pick to make the playoffs. As high as their expectations were, their final product was the complete opposite. Their season was marred with lows such as erratic quarterback play, a mediocre run game and injuries. All of that led to a 2-14 record, last place in the NFC South and tied for the worst record in the league.

As ugly as all of that sounds, there was some good that did come out of this season. As a result of their 2-14 record and last place finish, they were rewarded for their awfulness with the first overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. With that first overall pick, the Bucs immediately became a better team once Roger Goodell called QB Jameis Winston to the podium, a potential solution to Tampa’s lingering quarterback problem. The reason I say “potential solution” is because of Winston’s history of off-field issues. If Winston stays out of trouble, Famous Jameis more than likely becomes a franchise quarterback and the Bucs look like genius’ taking him over everyone else. If he starts getting in trouble, it’ll likely affect his play on field and that will continue to haunt all football fans in the Tampa Bay area.

Since the Bucs were a common pick to win their division, there’s no reason to think that they can’t sniff their potential and, at the very least, snag a wildcard spot. Last year, Carolina was able to clinch the division with just seven wins in the lackluster NFC South. Sure, it’ll be a much tougher task as the division winner or a wildcard will likely need to win around 10 games, but it won’t be impossible as the Bucs have the 4th easiest schedule this season. They can only hope their youngsters on offense can click and the defensive unit can all stay healthy and bounce back from a struggling year. It’s been a long 12 years since the Bucs were on top, so with young talent and no expectations, perhaps this season the Florida sun isn’t the only bright spot in Tampa Bay. Just hope a certain QB is more famous than infamous.

Quarterback

The achilles heal for Tampa Bay last year was their two headed monster of a quarterback in Josh McCown and Mike Glennon (otherwise known in Tampa Bay as The Brothers Grimm). They were second in the league in interceptions thrown (20) and only threw one more touchdown than they did interceptions. McCown and Glennon also finished 28th and 35th, respectively, among quarterbacks in ESPN fantasy football standard scoring, while finishing 30th in completion percentage (56.7) and a subpar 25th in yards per game (206). As you can see, McCown and Glennon were anything but replacement level quarterbacks at best. So, what’s the best way to improve that premium position that you only got replacement level value from? Draft a quarterback. And the Bucs did exactly that when they took Jameis Winston. Famous Jameis gives the Bucs an immediate upgrade at quarterback and, not only should he improve their record, but will instantly make that offense significantly better. While he was considered a dual-threat at Florida State, he’ll most likely stay in the pocket and attack opposing defenses through the air. While I don’t think he’ll have the smoothest rookie season ever, I see Winston ending the season with above average numbers, although his season will be inconsistent which isn’t unusual for any rookie. Jameis will plenty of big bodied targets to throw at, most notably second year phenom Mike Evans, veteran Vincent Jackson and the young and talented Austin Sefarin-Jenkins. Not a bad trio to throw at for a rookie trying to ease into the league. If you need more convincing, with his particular style of play, the two comparisons Jameis has gotten the most has been Matt Ryan with a dash of Ben Roethlisberger mixed in. Seems to be a positive sign especially if you are looking for a home run pick in the later rounds, specifically in dynasty or keeper leagues. Look for Jameis to put up close to 4,000 yards and 24 touchdowns, but also throwing for more than 15 interceptions. He’d be a good option as a QB2 in deeper leagues or a two quarterback league, but keep him on the bench. He has the potential to be a great pick in a rookie draft for a dynasty format, but he can also set your team back. If you’re a risk taker, he’s your guy. Draft him at your own risk and own with caution.

If Jameis can’t keep his head on straight, Mike Glennon will get the green light as the starter, as he did last year. Starter or not, Glennon figures to sit in the waiver wire or free agency for the whole season.

Running Back

Okay so maybe I lied a little bit. Maybe the Bucs’ achilles heal isn’t at quarterback; it’s more likely at running back where this position has been a mess the last two seasons. Last season’s run game was scarier than a Friday the 13th flick. They finished 29th in yards per game (85.9), tied for 27th in rushing touchdowns with just seven and were one of the teams who averaged less than four yards per carry. The run game was so bad there were only two instances throughout the whole season where a running back ran for over 100 yards in a game. That was Bobby Rainey in week 2 against the Rams and Doug Martin in week 17 against the Saints. It also doesn’t help their case when Doug Martin was their leading rusher with a ghastly 494 yards. As final proof to how pathetic the run game was in Tampa Bay last year, see if you can answer this question right: who had the most rushing touchdowns on the Bucs last year?

a.) Doug Martin

b.) Bobby Rainey

c.) Charles Sims

d.) none of the above

If you selected d, you are correct. The leader in rushing touchdowns? Josh McCown. I rest my case.

Anyway, this upcoming season should be improved though, with Doug Martin trying to put up numbers similar to his rookie year, after another disappointing and injury filled year. It appeared after the 2012 season that Tampa wouldn’t have to worry about their running back since Martin had one of the better rookie seasons we’ve seen in a while. His career has been trending downward ever since; in his last two seasons he’s played just 17 games and his combined rushing yards don’t even crack 1,000, while only crossing the goal line three times in that span, too. He’ll be their feature back and is someone who I think will have a big time bounce back year. He is 100% healthy and should be running for a big payday, as Tampa Bay did not pick up his option making him a free agent after this season. His ADP is 93.2, but if he can be at least 75% as good as he was when we was a rookie, Martin could end up being one of the better mid to late round steals. Given he stays healthy, I like the Muscle Hamster to rush for 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns, while having around 350 receiving yards and catching two touchdowns. I think Martin finishes as a top 12 running back. Backing up Martin will be second year pro Charles Sims. The speedster from West Virginia figures to be Tampa’s third down back and will see plenty of action in passing downs. While Sims won’t see as many touches as Martin, he still will be an intriguing back to keep your eye on. If Martin does so happen to go down with an injury, Sims should be immediately be picked up as he’ll rack up points not only through the ground, but through the air as well. If Martin stays healthy, pencil in Sims to total around 800 total yards with five touchdowns. Bobby Rainey slides in as the backup to the backup as the number three RB. He had an okay beginning to last year, but once Martin and Sims came back, he lost most of his touches, shown by him not getting a carry in the last four games. He’s a non factor

Wide Receivers

One stat that my brain can’t seem to process is to how Mike Evans was four points away from being a top 10 wide out last year, even though he had McCown and Glennon as his quarterbacks. Evans had a remarkable rookie season, including an unbelievable second half of the season where he caught 10 of his 12 touchdowns and had 715 of his 1,051 receiving yards and ended up as the 11th ranked wide receiver. Evans is also an absolute monster in the red zone where he and his 6’5 frame caught 6 of his 12 touchdowns, so you know he’ll be giving you a handful of red zone scores every year. He’s a touchdown machine and there’s a good chance his total rises this year with Winston throwing the ball. Evans should go in about the third round in a draft, and in dynasty formats should go in the top 15 because of his age (only 22) and his room to improve into a better receiver. Evans will be a top WR option for years to come. Lock him for 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns. Lining opposite of Evans is big Vincent Jackson. Jackson had a typical season by his standards with 70 catches and 1,000+ yards. The only issue was just an uncharacteristically low two touchdown receptions. But last seasons total was just an aberration as his touchdown total took a hit from a low red zone percentage and I project that his total will shoot up to six touchdowns. Louis Murphy goes in as the third receiver, but a bit of a subpar and injured one at that. No defensive coordinator has a specific gameplan to shut down Murphy and that’s Murphy in a nut shell. He’ll give you around 40 catches maybe 500 yards and one or two touchdowns. Kenny Bell is after Murphy on the depth chart, but there’s no reason to own him or any other wide receiver. Although, one name to keep an eye on is undrafted free agent Rannell Hall from UCF. He’s making a strong impression in camp, and if he makes the team he has the size and speed to potentially line up as a slot receiver.

Tight End

One of the biggest sleepers this year will be second year tight end Austin Sefarin-Jenkins. He had a truncated rookie season, playing just nine games because of a back injury, but is primed to be the number one tight end for the Bucs. The former second rounder is a big target who can catch anything his way and then outrun everyone trying to tackle him. The skill set is absolutely there, he just needs to stay healthy and have Jameis look his way. If he gets a fair share of targets, I think he can become a top 10 tight end that can throw up 750 yards and four to five touchdowns. His ADP is 141.4, so if you need a tight end, take a flier on ASJ. You’ll find out later in the season it might be worth it. After ASJ, it becomes a little tricky. Brandon Myers is next on the depth chart and he can be a reliable 40 catches, Luke Stocker is a coveted blocker and Tim Wright who is a tremendous red zone tight end. None of the three will have any real value unless Sefarin-Jenkins doesn’t stay healthy. Myers would be the first one to pick up one the waiver wire if you needed a tight end and ASJ is hurt. Stocker has just about no fantasy value. Tim Wright is intriguing though since he did have eight touchdown catches last year.

Defense

Another unit that disappointed many people last year and was the a big reason to why the team itself was a disappointment: the defense. While they didn’t have a huge problem taking the ball away, they had a big problem stopping opposing offenses piling on the yards and scoring. They got torched 368.9 yards per game and 25.6 points per game, which both ranked 25th in the league. You’re not winning any games if you can’t prevent the other team from scoring. It doesn’t seem impossible to have the defense vastly improve because they actually do have talent. They have one of the very best defensive lineman in football in Gerald McCoy who will be fully healthy this season after a stint on the injured reserve late last season. Lavonte David will lead the linebackers and he’ll continue to be one of the most dominant linebackers in all of football. Those two will make sure that points per game average and rush yards per game average go down and a healthy McCoy should up the number of sacks as well. The secondary, specifically the safeties, could use help. Dashon Goldson transformed into one of the worst safeties in football and they traded Mark Barron to St. Louis, leaving them with inexperienced safeties. They seem to fine at corner, however. Johnthan Banks is a legitimate number one cornerback and Alterraun Verner‘s skill set makes him a solid number two corner. They almost have all the pieces to their defensive puzzle. They just have to find that final piece and solve it.

Player to Watch

The one Buccanneer that I will keep my eye on all year will be Austin Sefarin-Jenkins. There isn’t much statistical evidence to show that he will have a big season, but seeing all the tools he has, I don’t see how he can’t make the big leap this year. There’s a lot of tight ends that are big, there’s a lot who have good hands and there’s a lot who can really run. There’s not many guys in the NFL who have all three qualities. He’s 6’5, who has hands like a possession receiver and runs a 4.56 40 yard dash. There should be no reason why he doesn’t get at least 90 targets his way. Jameis needs to utilize his weapons the right way and if he wants to succeed, he needs to get the ball to Sefarin-Jenkins. Expect a breakout season from ASJ.

Key Stat

42.8% — the percentage of the Buccaneers offensive touchdowns that Mike Evans scored this past season. That mark led all non-quarterbacks in the NFL. Of course the number is a bit inflated since there were so few rushing touchdowns and the whole offense was stagnant enough that there weren’t a lot of points. And we can’t forget that he took some red zone targets away from Vincent Jackson or the fact that that number is destined to fall. BUT, either way that number is so impressive that a rookie wide receiver scored almost half of the teams touchdowns. Evans is going to be really really good for a really long time.

Article written exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com by @JoeGolding94.