Buccaneers' Tom Brady: High volume in season-ending loss
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Brady completed 35 of 66 passes for 351 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Buccaneers' 31-14 wild-card loss to the Cowboys on Monday night. He also committed a fumble he was able to recover and threw a two-point conversion.
The legendary signal-caller's potential final game with Tampa Bay went poorly for the Buccaneers, with Brady forced to air it out constantly due to game script, a pattern established during a regular season in which he also recorded a career-high 733 pass attempts. The massive volume helped prop up his final numbers, and both of Brady's touchdown passes -- a 30-yarder to Julio Jones at the end of the third quarter and an eight-yard strike to Cameron Brate with 2:04 remaining in the fourth -- came after the game was out of reach. The Cowboys did a particularly effective job of taking away any deep opportunities, limiting Brady to 5.3 yards per attempt. Assuming he doesn't opt for retirement (again), Brady will head into free agency having thrown for 4,694 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions across 17 regular-season games in 2022.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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I started the week not liking Brady as a Fantasy quarterback. He's clearly disappointed this season, and he comes into Week 17 against Carolina having scored 13 Fantasy points or less in two of his past three games. He also has five interceptions in his past four games, and he scored 11 Fantasy points at Carolina in Week 7. But the Panthers are now down cornerback Jaycee Horn (wrist), and without Horn and Donte Jackson (Achilles), this should be a vulnerable secondary. Jared Goff had 31 Fantasy points in Carolina in Week 16, and Geno Smith also scored 26 Fantasy points against the Panthers in Week 14. Brady isn't likely going to have a huge game, but he's still worth using as a low-end starter in this matchup. He has scored at least 21 Fantasy points in four of his past six games in Tampa Bay as well.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Sleeper QBs
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I started the week not liking Brady as a Fantasy quarterback. He's clearly disappointed this season, and he comes into Week 17 against Carolina having scored 13 Fantasy points or less in two of his past three games. He also has five interceptions in his past four games, and he scored 11 Fantasy points at Carolina in Week 7. But the Panthers are now down cornerback Jaycee Horn (wrist), and without Horn and Donte Jackson (Achilles), this should be a vulnerable secondary. Jared Goff had 31 Fantasy points in Carolina in Week 16, and Geno Smith also scored 26 Fantasy points against the Panthers in Week 14. Brady isn't likely going to have a huge game, but he's still worth using as a low-end starter in this matchup. He has scored at least 21 Fantasy points in four of his past six games in Tampa Bay as well.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: QBs to Sit
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It wouldn't surprise me if Brady had a big game in Week 17 against Carolina. The Panthers just lost cornerback Jaycee Horn (wrist) and allowed Jared Goff to score 31 Fantasy points against them in Week 16. But Brady struggled at lowly Arizona in Week 16 with just 13 Fantasy points, and he only scored 11 points at Carolina in Week 7. He has seven interceptions in his past four games, and the Panthers are trying to steal the NFC South title from the Buccaneers in this matchup. I'm not willing to trust Brady as a No. 1 quarterback in the Fantasy championship.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: QBs to Start
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Brady hasn't looked good for the past several weeks, but he has managed to score at least 20 Fantasy points in four of his past five games. If he can limit the turnovers -- he has five interceptions and two fumbles in the past three weeks -- then he might be even better in Week 16. This is a great matchup against the Cardinals, who allow an average of 22.1 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Five of the past eight quarterbacks against Arizona have scored at least 24 Fantasy points, and the ones who failed to do that were Brett Rypien, Mac Jones and John Wolford. This could be one of Brady's best games of the season.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: QBs to Sit
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Brady looked bad in Week 14 at San Francisco with 12 Fantasy points, and I expect him to have another down game this week at home against the Bengals. Only two quarterbacks have scored at least 20 Fantasy points against Cincinnati this year, and that was Jacoby Brissett (22 points in Week 8) and Patrick Mahomes (20 points in Week 13). For the season, opposing quarterbacks are averaging just 14.8 Fantasy points per game against the Bengals, and Brady should struggle once again in Week 15.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Struggles against Niners
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Brady completed 34 of 55 passes for 253 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions in Sunday's 35-7 loss to the 49ers.
Despite the massive volume, Brady had little luck moving the ball, and his one TD pass to Russell Gage came in the third quarter after the Buccaneers were already staring at a 35-0 deficit. Tampa Bay's difficulty running the ball continues to force the 45-year-old QB to try and do everything himself. Brady's attempted 50 or more passes five times this season, and 40-plus in 10 of the last 11 games, but he hasn't reached 300 passing yards since Week 8. He likely won't have the luxury of slowing down Week 15 during a showdown with Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: QBs to Sit
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Brady managed 21 Fantasy points against the Saints in Week 13 when he scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes to erase a 13-point deficit. He's now scored at least 20 Fantasy points in three games in a row, but this should be a tough matchup for him at San Francisco, even if it's a homecoming game since he grew up in the Bay Area as a 49ers fan. Patrick Mahomes and Marcus Mariota are the lone quarterbacks with more than 19 Fantasy points against San Francisco, and the 49ers are allowing just 14.3 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks for the season. Brady is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Leads thrilling comeback win
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Brady completed 36 of 54 passes for 281 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Buccaneers' 17-16 win over the Saints on Monday night. He also netted minus-1 yard on one rush.
Limited for most of the game by a Saints defense that's given him plenty of trouble since he arrived in Tampa in 2020, Brady and his pass catchers suddenly showed some desperation late. The future Hall of Famer helmed scoring drives over the Buccaneers' final two possessions that resulted in one- and six-yard touchdown tosses to rookies Cade Otton and Rachaad White. Brady's yardage total was his second highest against New Orleans in the last three seasons, and he's now thrown a pair of touchdown passes in three consecutive games. The win evens the Bucs' record at 6-6 and gives them the inside track to the NFC South crown, but a daunting challenge awaits on the road in Week 14 against the 49ers.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Two touchdowns in OT loss
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Brady completed 29 of 43 passes for 246 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Buccaneers' 23-17 overtime loss to the Browns on Sunday. He also rushed once for two yards.
Brady's final numbers were perfectly adequate from a fantasy perspective, but he repeatedly failed to move the Buccaneers late in regulation and overtime, leading to the team's sixth loss of the campaign. Brady took three sacks and was unofficially hit on another three occasions, and Tampa Bay was forced to punt on six of its last seven possessions, including overtime, with the exception of the final drive of regulation that culminated in a Hail Mary attempt. Brady did record touchdown passes to Chris Godwin and Ko Kieft of 10 and five yards, respectively, making it two straight games with multiple scoring tosses for the future Hall of Famer. Brady will aim for a much more efficient outing from a scoring perspective in a Week 13 Monday night home matchup against the division-rival Saints.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Possible Bust (Lineup Decisions)
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The Bucs are trending upward coming out of their bye as healthy as they've been all year, and that may mean less volume than we've grown accustomed to from Brady in the passing game. He had just 29 pass attempts against the Seahawks, just half of the 58 he threw in his previous game, after topping 40 in seven straight. He's been held to zero or one passing TD in all but two games this year, while the Browns have held all but three QBs under 20 Fantasy points. Dave is starting Geno Smith and Dak Prescott over Brady, but potential weather conditions could push the Bucs QB down even further.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Possible Bust (Lineup Decisions)
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It's hard to get excited for Brady when he's been underperforming for five straight games. The silver lining remains the same, though: The Bucs throw more than any team in football and Brady is far from washed as far as accuracy and arm strength go. He just wants to get the ball out ASAP, ruining his chances at making big plays. He's startable but not with optimism. Use him over Matthew Stafford or Russell Wilson, but definitely go with Geno Smith or Dak Prescott over him.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Possible Bust (Lineup Decisions)
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Brady has one or zero touchdowns in every game but one this year (Week 4 against the Chiefs). The short week preparation and his uneven passing, especially in the face of standard pass rushes, are troubling. The matchup against an improving Ravens defense doesn't help. He has not yet burned all of his trust with Fantasy managers, which is why I still rank him as a top-10 quarterback, but I'd feel a little better riding this week out with Tua Tagovailoa in a dream matchup against the Lions or Kyler Murray versus the Vikings.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Struggles persist in Week 7 loss
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Brady completed 32 of 49 passes for 290 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the Buccaneers' 21-3 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. He also rushed once for one yard and recovered a fumble.
For the second straight week, Brady put up aesthetically pleasing numbers in an underwhelming performance for the Buccaneers offense. The future Hall of Famer took only one sack, stayed away from turnovers and connected with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for a combined 16 completions and 139 yards, yet somehow failed to lead the Bucs to a single touchdown. It was Brady's first game without a scoring toss since the Week 4 win over the Patriots last season -- although that wouldn't have been the case had Evans not dropped a sure touchdown while running uncovered down the middle of the field in the first quarter -- and he and his pass catchers are once again left searching for answers going into a short week ahead of a Week 8 interconference showdown with the Ravens on Thursday night.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Practices as full participant
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Brady (shoulder/finger) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Though Brady sat out Wednesday's session with right shoulder and right ring finger injuries, the absence ended up mirroring the regular veteran maintenance days he's expected to receive for the Buccaneers' first practice of every week this season. According to Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site, Brady said after Thursday's practice that his shoulder "feels great," and his ability to take every rep clears up any lingering concern about his availability for Sunday's game against the Falcons. Brady is coming off a season-best Week 4 performance in which he completed 39 of 52 pass attempts for 385 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to the Chiefs, but the Buccaneers essentially abandoned the run after falling into an early deficit. Expect a more balanced game plan Week 5, which will likely result in lesser passing volume for Brady.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Back at practice
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Brady (shoulder/finger) was spotted on the field during the open portion of Thursday's practice, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
A sore right shoulder as well as a pre-existing right ring finger injury kept Brady off the field Wednesday, but maintenance-based absences during the first practices of each week had already been the norm for the 45-year-old quarterback. Brady's return to practice a day later suggests his appearance on the Week 5 injury report isn't a major concern, though it's not yet clear if he'll go down as a limited or full participant Thursday. Sara Walsh of NFL Network notes that Brady didn't appear to have any restrictions while throwing the football, so he looks well on his way to starting Sunday's game against the Falcons.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Misses practice Wednesday
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Brady didn't practice Wednesday due to right shoulder and right ring finger injuries.
Brady banged up the finger Week 2 at New Orleans and now is dealing with a shoulder concern. Wednesday's absence may be a maintenance-related for the 45-year-old quarterback, who still has two more chances to mix into drills this week. As a result, Brady's status should continue to be watched to ensure he isn't in danger of sitting out Sunday against the Falcons.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Posts big numbers in loss
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Brady completed 39 of 52 pass attempts for 385 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 41-31 loss to the Chiefs.
Tampa Bay fell behind big early, forcing offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to abandon the run game completely and rely solely on Brady's arm to climb back into the contest. It was a valiant effort from Tom Terrific and Co., but they ultimately fell short. It is worth noting that Brady appeared to be favoring his right shoulder after taking a big hit late in the first half. The 45-year-old didn't appear limited by the minor injury scare in the second half, so Brady's fantasy managers can take a sigh of relief heading into a Week 5 tilt against Atlanta.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: QBs to Start
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The Buccaneers will hopefully get healthy this week with left tackle Donovan Smith (elbow) and receiver Julio Jones (knee) back on the field. And Mike Evans is back from his one-game suspension. Maybe Chris Godwin (hamstring) will return also, but that seems unlikely. The injuries have crushed Brady this season, and his 16 Fantasy points in Week 3 against Green Bay is a season high. I'm expecting him to crack the 20-point threshold this week against the Chiefs in what should be a shootout with Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs have allowed all three opposing quarterbacks -- Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert and Matt Ryan -- to pass for at least two touchdowns, and Brady should have his first multiple-touchdown outing of the season this week.
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Buccaneers' Tom Brady: Narrow loss to Packers
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Brady completed 31 of 42 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 14-12 loss to the Packers.
Brady saw Tampa Bay's offense struggle for much of Sunday's contest while without his top three wideouts. Still, the 45-year-old nearly led his team back to force overtime. While a one-yard touchdown to Russell Gage with 14 seconds left put the Buccaneers on the brink, a delay of game on their subsequent two-point conversion attempt hurt Brady's comeback chances and contributed toward a narrow defeat. As he now prepares for Week 4's matchup versus Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, Brady will be eager to get top wideout Mike Evans back from suspension and will hope fellow targets Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) can return as well.
