Tom Brady had a down year last season by his standards, throwing for just 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions to go along with 4,057 passing yards. The Patriots offense missed the presence of tight end Rob Gronkowski, who came out of retirement this offseason after the Bucs pulled off a trade for the future Hall of Famer.
With Gronk and Brady joining an offense that finished tied for third in scoring last season, big things are expected out of Tampa Bay this season. Matt Bowen of ESPN believes Brady will thrive in this new offense, which is why he named the six-time Super Bowl champion as one of his favorite quarterback targets for fantasy football.
Here’s part of Bowen’s reasoning:
“Last season, the Bucs’ wide receivers averaged 22.5% more yards after the catch than the Patriots. Chris Godwin and Mike Evans? Playmakers. Look for more play-action, seams and in-breakers there. Add that to the tight end route tree with Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard, as well as the running back targets that have always been a critical part of Brady’s game. Plus, let’s not forget about Brady’s ability to master red zone situations — especially with Gronkowski in the mix. Over his past three seasons with Gronkowski on the roster (2016-18), Brady has thrown 64 red zone touchdown passes, with just two red zone interceptions… Last season’s No. 12 quarterback in fantasy scoring, I believe Brady has top-10 upside in an offense that is set up to move the ball through the air.”
Many people are expecting Brady to have a big year, despite the fact that he’ll be 43 years old when the season rolls around. Bruce Arians likes to run a pass-happy offense, but we will likely see some Brady influence in this offensive system, too. It should make for an exciting year of Bucs football.
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