The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 2 matchup between the Browns and Bucs.
Find a breakdown of every Week 2 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Cleveland | Rank | @ | Tampa Bay | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.5 | Spread | -8.5 | ||
| 16.0 | Implied Total | 24.5 | ||
| 10.0 | 28 | Points/Gm | 27.0 | 13 |
| 34.0 | 27 | Points All./Gm | 33.0 | 26 |
| 49.0 | 29 | Plays/Gm | 52.0 | 24 |
| 56.0 | 12 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 63.0 | 17 |
| 5.6 | 14 | Off. Yards/Play | 5.4 | 17 |
| 6.4 | 28 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.6 | 20 |
| 44.9% | 18 | Rush% | 38.5% | 23 |
| 55.1% | 15 | Pass% | 61.5% | 10 |
| 57.1% | 30 | Opp. Rush % | 42.9% | 13 |
| 42.9% | 3 | Opp. Pass % | 57.1% | 20 |
- The Browns converted a league-low 12.5% (1 of 8) of third downs in Week 1. In 2025, they were 29th in third-down conversion rate (33.6%).
- Cleveland had a 41.9% success rate on defense in Week 1, their lowest rate since Week 10 of 2022.
- The Buccaneers played 11 personnel on a league-high 82.7% of offensive snaps. The league rate in Week 1 was 55.6%.
- Cleveland running backs rushed for a first down or touchdown on a league-low 7.7% of their attempts.
- Tampa Bay had a 45.9% blitz rate in Week 1 (2nd) but a league-low 21.6% pressure rate.
Trust = spike production for that player
Browns vs. Buccaneers Fantasy Quarterback Preview
Baker Mayfield
Sunday was a series of unfortunate events for Mayfield.
He closed the week as the QB26 (11.6 points).
Mayfield went 23 of 28 (82.1%) for 216 yards and no touchdown passes.
He rushed 5 times for 30 yards and a touchdown but also lost 3 fumbles.
That has been an ongoing issue for Mayfield.
He has led the NFL in fumbles in each of the previous two seasons, so he is out of the gate early on to make it a three-peat.
In his first game with Zac Robinson, the Bucs ran a short, quick passing game.
Mayfield led the league in completion rate in Week 1, but he also threw the most passes at the line of scrimmage.
48.1% of Mayfield's passes in Week 1 were at or behind the line of scrimmage, his highest rate in a game since Week 1 of 2022 with the Panthers.
Mayfield averaged only 4.5 air yards per pass attempt (his career-low season average is 6.0).
The Bucs used play action 39.3% of the time, which is encouraging after rates of 24.6%, 23%, and 22.1% over the previous three seasons with the Bucs.
Mayfield needs to protect the ball better in Week 2, but the setup looks good to get back in play as an upside QB2.
Mayfield's former team had a disastrous road performance in Week 1.
The Browns faced a Jacksonville team that picked up where they left off a year ago, but the Browns offered little resistance in their first game under new coordinator Mike Rutenberg.
The Browns had only a 24% pressure rate (27th), allowed 10.7 yards per pass attempt (30th), a 78.3% completion rate (29th), and a league-high 17.4% touchdown rate.
The Browns have talent on the defensive side of the ball so that they may turn it around in Week 1, but so many changes paired with an anemic offense may mean they take a step back this season.
The Browns did scale down their preseason man-coverage rate (21.4%), but it was still the ninth-highest rate in Week 1.
One major change from Rutenberg is that Cleveland blitzed 12% of the time, which was 29th in the league.
Even if the Browns find their pass rush, the quick-tempo passing game the Bucs showed in Week 1 should neutralize it.
Deshaun Watson
Watson's box score was better than his overall Week 1 performance, but his output was still only good enough for QB20 (14 points).
Through three quarters in Jacksonville, Watson completed 11 of 17 passes for 100 yards (5.9 Y/A) with an interception.
He then salvaged what he could in the fourth quarter of a blowout, completing 5 of 5 passes for 105 yards and throwing a 46-yard touchdown to Denzel Boston.
Watson did add 38 yards rushing on the afternoon.
I was pretty surprised Watson made it through the game since the score was 34-3 entering the final quarter.
For that reason, Watson remains a back-end QB2.
Even if you find him a favorable spot, you'll still have to worry about him being benched at some point.
This week isn't a favorable outlook as a massive road underdog again, so we don't really have to force things outside of 2QB leagues that are needy to fill out a lineup.
The Bucs blitzed at the second-highest rate in the league in Week 1 (45.9%) but could not get to Joe Burrow, who threw to his backs and tight ends at a high rate.
Burrow's average time to throw in Week 1 was 2.43 seconds from the snap, fourth in the league.
That shouldn't be the case here.
Watson had a league-high 18.5% sack rate in Week 1, his fourth straight start with a double-digit sack rate.
Watson took 3.19 seconds from the snap to throw, 28th in Week 1.
Browns vs. Buccaneers Fantasy Running Back Preview
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More Week 2 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Lions @ Bills | Thursday Night Football |
| Panthers @ Falcons | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Vikings @ Bears | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Eagles @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Steelers @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Packers @ Jets | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Bucs | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Saints @ Ravens | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Texans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jaguars @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Chargers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Commanders @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Seahawks @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Dolphins @ 49ers | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Chiefs | Sunday Night Football |
| Giants @ Rams | Monday Night Football |
