Baker Mayfield (thumb) has not resumed throwing

Mayfield going down as a full participant is a bit of a surprise given that it’s his first time practicing in any capacity since Week 3. Todd Bowles told reporters earlier this week that the team was preparing for Jalon Daniels to start. Now it looks like Mayfield may be the favorite to draw the start versus Carolina. This is ultimately a rather ambiguous situation, likely by Bowles’ design. Fantasy managers should have a backup plan in place if they are counting on either of the Bucs’ quarterbacks this week.

Mayfield hasn’t played since dislocating his thumb in Week 3. As of late last week, he hadn’t even thrown a football since suffering the injury. Todd Bowles told reporters on Monday that he’s preparing for Jalon Daniels to start, but Mayfield’s return to practice puts things up in the air. His practice statuses over the next few days will be telling. For now, fantasy managers should still plan on seeing Daniels under center, but this is a situation to monitor throughout the week.

Bowles has already said that the team is preparing as if Jalon Daniels will start in Week 7, but the team will be evaluating Mayfield to see how he is progressing in his recovery from a dislocated thumb. Mayfield reportedly pushed to play last week after throwing on Monday, but his thumb swelled up, which factored into the decision to sit him in Week 6’s loss to the Steelers. Given Bowles’ comments about the team’s plans entering the week, it sounds like Mayfield is at risk of missing at least one more game, but we’ll see how his hand responds when he gets on the field on Wednesday.

Bowles said this week will be an important evaluation week for Baker Mayfield, who is still rehabbing a dislocated thumb that has sidelined him since Week 3. Daniels hasn’t been overly impressive in his three starts this season, throwing for 501 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions while also taking nine sacks. That said, he did manage to pull off a win over the Cowboys in Week 5 and had the Buccaneers in position to beat the Steelers in Week 6 before Pittsburgh erupted for 16 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime. We’ll see how things unfold throughout the week, but it sounds like Mayfield is at least one week away from returning. Daniels would be on the fantasy radar as a low-end QB2 if he gets the start against Carolina.

Daniels added 39 yards on the ground but lost a grand total of 42 yards via five sacks. Despite making a handful of big plays, Daniels’ down-to-down inaccuracy was the storyline of this game. He routinely threw passes behind Emeka Egbuka, who only caught seven passes despite seeing a whopping 16 targets on the day. Daniels also overthrew Egbuka on a long touchdown pass that could have changed the course of this game. Baker Mayfield hasn’t resumed throwing yet, meaning Daniels will likely get at least one more start. Averaging just 167 passing yards and one passing touchdown per game, Daniels will be a low-end QB2 for his Week 7 matchup versus Carolina.

Mayfield didn’t practice this week, but according to Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles he threw on Monday and was pushing to play before his “thumb swelled up on him.” It seems like Mayfield is trending in the right direction and that he could return against the Panthers in Week 7 if the swelling is no longer an issue. Jalon Daniels is starting for Tampa Bay again in Week 6 against the Steelers.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles gets another tick in the obfuscation column. On Wednesday, Bowles told reporters that Mayfield has not resumed throwing yet. Today, Palmer tells us that Mayfield “was pushing hard to play,” and, perhaps briefly, resumed throwing on Monday. Apparently, his thumb reacted poorly. Palmer adds that Mayfield is “getting better,” but that does not necessarily mean he will be able to play next week. Stay tuned.

It’ll be the Jalon Daniels show again. Mayfield did not practice at any point this week. Todd Bowles tried to tell us that it was too early to tell earlier today; it wasn’t. We’ll need to see Mayfield on the practice field next week before we think he has a real shot to play against the Panthers in Week 7.

Mayfield has already been ruled out for Week 6’s game against the Steelers. After being a DNP in practice all week, Mayfield could still be another week away from returning. It was reported on Wednesday that he is still unable to grip/throw a football, so this will be a situation to keep an eye on when the Bucs begin prepping for next week’s game.

Mayfield will be ruled out for Week 6 tomorrow. Having not thrown a football since his Week 3 thumb injury, he’s also unlikely to suit up for next week’s game against the Panthers. Jalon Daniels will draw at least one more start versus the Steelers this week. His rushing production will keep him in the QB2 ranks for Sunday’s game, but a lack of passing numbers makes him a weak fantasy option.