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It doesn’t get much blander than Otton. He’ll be on the field plenty this season, but don’t expect him to earn targets at a high rate or do much with them.
Otton is a fine TE3 on best ball rosters but can be left on the waiver wire in redraft leagues.
Customize his projection for your exact league settings inside the Draft War Room.
Otton tallied 59 catches for 572 yards and 1 TD in 16 games last year. He ranked 12th among TEs in catches and 15th in yards, but his one score tied for 50th.
That left Otton TE26 in PPR points per game and TE27 in half-PPR. He cracked the top-12 at the position in just three of his 16 outings.
Otton was a full-time player last year, running a route on 75.0% of pass plays across his 16 games. That ranked seventh among TEs.
He drew a target on just 18% of his routes, though, 30th among 40 TEs with 200+ routes. Otton’s 15.3% target share ranked 18th. His 5.0 targets per game ranked 14th.
Otton was rarely used downfield or near the end zone. His 5.1-yard average target depth ranked 32nd among those 40 qualifying TEs. And he ranked:
Otton finished TE27 in expected PPR points per game.
Otton caught 72.8% of his targets but averaged just 9.7 yards per catch. Among 40 TEs with 200+ routes last year, he ranked:
He was similarly mediocre in film-based metrics:
The 2025 Buccaneers finished:
It was a balanced offense in terms of play calling, ranking 17th in pass rate and 18th in pass rate over expected.
Otton benefited from injuries to WRs Mike Evans (nine games missed) and Chris Godwin (eight games missed). Those guys, along with WR Emeka Egbuka, were only on the field together for the final four games of last season. Otton missed one of those. His receiving lines in the other three:
Otton has been a low-ceiling player throughout his four NFL seasons. He sports a career 9.7 yards per catch and 5.3% TD rate, both well below league-wide averages for TEs.
Otton’s best season came in 2024, when he posted a 59-600-4 line across 14 games and finished TE11 in PPR points per game. Even that production came with a major boost from three games without both Evans and Godwin. Otton averaged 19.8 PPR points per game in those contests vs. 7.6 in his other 11. That latter mark would have ranked 24th among TEs on the season.
Otton’s finishes among TEs in PPR points per game in his other three seasons:
Otton has missed five games through four NFL seasons:
Otton also suffered a serious right ankle injury in his final college season that required surgery and cost him the final four games.
Otton briefly hit the free-agent market in March before re-signing with the Buccaneers on a three-year, $30 million deal with $20 million guaranteed. That $10 million average annual salary lands Otton 15th among TEs.
It also makes him a safe bet to remain a full-time player for Tampa Bay. That was confirmed by the team only adding sixth-round rookie Bauer Sharp to the TE room.
The biggest change in the Bucs’ pass-catching corps is the departure of Evans. Injuries limited him to a 30-368-3 receiving line across eight games last year. But he averaged 76.0 catches, 1,153 yards, and 9.5 TDs across his first 11 seasons in Tampa Bay.
It’s a big hole, but we expect it to primarily be filled by returning Egbuka, Godwin, and Jalen McMillan.
Tampa Bay also added RB Kenneth Gainwell in free agency. He’s coming off a 73-catch season for the Steelers and could steal some short-range targets from Otton.
QB Baker Mayfield returns for his fourth season as Bucs starter. He has sandwiched a huge 4,500-yard, 41-TD 2024 season between two mediocre seasons.
Among 42 QBs with 150+ pass attempts last year, Mayfield ranked:
A bounce-back season from Mayfield would certainly help Otton’s 2026 production.
The Buccaneers canned OC Josh Grizzard after the season, replacing him with Zac Robinson.
Robinson spent five seasons working under Sean McVay in Los Angeles before serving as Falcons OC for the last two. Atlanta ranked sixth in yards and 13th in points in a Kirk Cousins-led offense in Robinson's debut. The Falcons fell to 14th in yards and 24th in points this past year, with worse QB play from Michael Penix Jr. and then Cousins.
Both of Robinson’s Atlanta offenses leaned run:
There’s no Bijan Robinson in Tampa Bay, though, so we expect Robinson to shift at least a bit toward the pass. We project this as a balanced offense in 2026.
Robinson helped Kyle Pitts to a bounce-back season and a TE5 finish last year, but Pitts and Otton are very different players. And Pitts ranked just 22nd in PPR points per game in Robinson’s first season in Atlanta, so the scheme alone doesn't make Otton especially appealing.
Otton will be on the field plenty this season, and Evans’ departure leaves behind opportunity. That at least gives Otton a chance to earn decent volume.
If he finds the end zone a few times as he did in 2023 and 2024 (4 TDs in each season), he could at least emerge as a spot-start option, especially in full-PPR leagues.
A healthy season from the Buccaneers’ WR corps could leave Otton fourth or even fifth on the team in targets. And he needs volume as a low yards-per-catch and TD-rate player.
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Cade Otton Staying In Tampa Bay
Cade Otton Staying In Tampa Bay
The Buccaneers and TE Cade Otton agreed to a new deal just after free agency opened on Monday. No word yet on details of the fresh contract. Otton was considered one of the top TEs on the market, although that's more because of his well-rounded game than his dynamism as a pass catcher.
Buccaneers Need New OC Again
Buccaneers Need New OC Again
The Buccaneers have fired OC Josh Grizzard, according to multiple reports. Grizzard spent just one season piloting the Tampa Bay offense after joining the team as pass-game coordinator in 2024. He spent seven years on the Dolphins offensive staff before that, working under head coaches Adam Gase, Brian Flores, and Mike McDaniel. Next season will mark the fifth time in five years under HC Todd Bowles that the Bucs have sported a different OC.
Cade Otton Back For Week 16
Cade Otton Back For Week 16
Buccaneers TE Cade Otton (knee) practiced all week and will play vs. the Panthers on Sunday. He’s off the fantasy radar, though, with Tampa Bay’s WR corps back to full strength.
Cade Otton Doubtful For Week 15
Cade Otton Doubtful For Week 15
Buccaneers TE Cade Otton (knee) is doubtful for Thursday night's game against the Falcons. He's averaged 5.1 targets per game this season, although that's sunk to 3.0 over the last two games with WR Chris Godwin ramping up. Otton will be replaced by some combination of TEs Payne Durham and Devin Culp, but neither is a fantasy option. Expect more targets to be funneled to the WRs and RBs.
Buccaneers-Bills Weather Update
Buccaneers-Bills Weather Update
The forecast for today's Buccaneers-Bills game calls for sustained winds around 20 mph with gusts up to 35. There's a chance for a rain/snow mix, but the wind is the concern here. The over/under on this game has dropped from 48.5 on Thursday to 46.5. We're docking the passing projections on both sides and would avoid the kickers.
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