☕️Bi-Weekly Brew: Tampa Bay Bucs Edition

By The Dynasty Cafe · July 17, 2026 · Play For Keeps Articles

Welcome back to The Dynasty Cafe for the NINTH edition of the ☕️Bi-Weekly Brew, where I provide some special blends for YOUR specific build. Be sure to try out the previous Brew breaking down the massively hyped Chicago Bears if you haven’t already!  Some fan favorites got left off the target list.  You don't want to miss that one! 

In this edition, we start breaking down the NFC South, beginning with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  This marks the first season without Mike Evans on the roster since 2014.  Who will take his place?  Can Baker succeed without his perennial 1000 yard receiver?  Baker is a candidate for a bounce back, but didn't make the cut this time around.  Let's see which of his weapons did make the target list!

☕️Bi-Weekly Brew Themes☕️

For those that are new: welcome in!  Here’s what you’ll find in each edition of the ☕️Bi-Weekly Brew:

In each brew, we will assume super flex is in play, with full point PPR and .5 TEP. 

For each team, we’ll be identifying:

☕️Our House Blend: the perfect player for any build

☕️The Espresso Shot: a player to provide that high upside boost to your rebuilding team

☕️The Dark Roast: ole reliable, a player that can push a contender to its peak

☕️House Blend: Emeka Egbuka☕️

Emeka is a guy that any team can benefit from rostering.  He came out firing last year, scoring 10+ points in each of his first five games, including three games over 20 points.  He slowed down as the season progressed, though it wasn’t from lack of volume.  He saw 7+ targets in every game but three.  A healthy Baker should help convert these targets into points, and help contenders find wins!  Targets have also opened up with the departure of Mike Evans (62).  I anticipate Emeka picking up the lions share of those and add onto the 127 he saw last year.  Godwin will be a thorn in his side, as well as the return of Jalen McMillan.  The Bucs have enough passing volume for everyone to be satisfied though.  Despite the injury, Baker still had multiple games with 30+ passing attempts.  Expect the high volume passing to continue, and for Emeka to emerge as the WR1 in Tampa! 

For rebuilders, Emeka is 23.7 years old, and has a bright future ahead.  He’s attached to Baker for the foreseeable future.  QB stability is key for reliable long term success, and we've already seen flashes of the dynamic duos ceiling.  He is a piece rebuilders can acquire and stash as they overhaul their roster.  Emeka dealt with some injuries last year, which also attributed to him slowing down throughout the year.  Buy now while the injury discount is still in play!

Photo Credit: USA Today

Check out these trades made by some of the best players in the Play For Keeps database:

I love this move for a contender.  Though I just hyped up the Bears in the last Brew, Rome wasn't one of them.  In fact, none of the receivers were.  The Bears offense is crowded, so if I can pivot off a guy like Rome for the clear cut top option in Tampa and get Egbuka, I'll do that all day.  I want volume from my receivers, and Egbuka is almost guaranteed to get consistent usage.  He has a less crowded WR room and no elite TE to contend with.  Rome may not even be the 2nd option in the passing game.  Williams and the 3rd should just be viewed as throw ins; nothing of value is being lost here.  I'd make this move to acquire Egbuka for other WRs like Luther Burden,  Jaylen Waddle, and Makai Lemon, to name a few.

This is another move I'd also make as a contender, but it's really geared more towards rebuilders.  Egbuka has the youthfulness to still be producing when your team is coming out of a rebuild.  Nico, not so much, and Warren especially doesn't.  Nico is entering his age 27 season.  He's still got a few good years left, but Jayden Higgins is nipping at his heels.  Egbuka is in a better situation and about 3.5 years younger.  Take the age reset at WR and get your teams long term WR1/WR2.

☕️Espresso Shot: Jalen McMillan☕️

Jalen McMillan was a league winner in his rookie year, scoring 16+ points in his last 5 games, syncing up perfectly with the most important time for fantasy: the playoffs! He missed most of 2025 with a neck injury, but still showed flashes of his rookie year form when he came back.  Jalen can be acquired very cheap, as he currently sits at WR57 on KeepTradeCut (at time of writing).  If he gets on the field, whether it be because of an injury to someone ahead of him, or he simply just wins a spot on his own, he’ll see a value bump that rebuilders can flip for a draft pick.  Acquire Jalen now while he’s cheap!

Photo Credit: buccaneers.com

Let's visit the Sharp Tracker to see what a trade for Jalen looks like:

As I said, Jalen is cheap to acquire.  I'd move any 3rd to get Jalen as a stash, or try to include him as a throw in as part of another trade.  A 3rd is a dart throw, just like Jalen.  However, Jalen has already proven himself as someone who can produce when given a chance, and we know his situation.  The 3rd carries a lot of question marks.  If Jalen produces, he can be cashed in to a contender for more than what you paid to get him.  JMac provides an opportunity for a quicker return on your investment.

☕️The Dark Roast: Bucky Irving☕️ 

Bucky left a bad taste in the mouth of owners last year, only appearing in 10 games.  Pre-injury though, Bucky kept the momentum from 2024 going, finishing between RB9 and RB15 every week.  He wasn’t great coming off injury, which has led to a bit of dip in value.  Contenders can buy low on Bucky now and potentially get a high upside RB2 on a discount.  Taking the risk could pay huge dividends if he returns to rookie year form.

Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images

As usual, we'll consult the Sharp Tracker to talk about a Bucky trade:

This may be the first time I've actually went against a Sharp.  If my contending team was RB needy, I'd move Pittman for Bucky.  I'd consider it for guys like DK Metcalf, Josh Downs, and Michael Wilson also (all guys around Pittman on KeepTradeCut).  I prefer the Tampa offense to the offenses of the WR I just mentioned.  If Bucky can remain healthy, he'll be the guy in Tampa. Bucky's poor sophomore season was due to his injury, not lack of ability.  As you can see below, Bucky had 31 missed tackles forced.  That comes out to about 3.1 a game.  Extrapolate this pace over 17 games, and that puts him closer to the 7-10 range on this list.  This is on par with his rookie year MTFs, where he came in at 6, per PFF.com,  This further hammers home that Bucky hasn't lost the ability, he just didn't have the health to put together another a solid follow up to his rookie year. His pre-injury numbers showed he can still produce as a low end RB1 for a team.  Consider trading for Bucky if you need to improve your RB room as a contender.

☕️Note to Readers☕️

Be sure to explore the Sharp Tracker for more trade ideas like those above.  That is a great tool for gauging what some of the best players are doing to buy or sell players.  Also, be sure to check out the Dynasty Rankings tab!  Using this feature, you can upload your favorite experts rankings, create your own, and upload them to your Sleeper queue for upcoming drafts! 

I hope you enjoyed the content you consumed here today, and I look forward to seeing you for the next edition of the ☕️Bi-Weekly Brew! 

Remember to follow @TheDynastyCafe on X for additional content and updates!

Good luck and happy trading!

Cover Photo Credit: Chris O'Meara/AP Photo

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