Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield

Tuesday, August 11, 12:12 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that quarterback Baker Mayfield will not play in the team's preseason opener on Friday against the New York Jets, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Mayfield will not play, even though backup Jake Browning, who was expected to start on Friday, appeared to injure his back on Tuesday. It's no surprise that Mayfield won't play in the preseason contest this week after he didn't play at all in the preseason last year. The 31-year-old veteran was unhappy that the Bucs didn't try very hard to work out a contract extension with him before the start of training camp this summer, and he'll enter the final year of his deal with the team in 2026 with a chip on his shoulder as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 campaign in which the team failed to make the postseason. Mayfield played all 17 games, but he wasn't 100% for most of the year, ending up with 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. In a new offense without future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans, fantasy managers shouldn't be viewing the veteran signal-caller as anything more than a low-upside, low-end QB2 in superflex leagues.