The Bucs‘ defense was a mixed bag of results in 2024, in part due to the injury bug causing issues, and the lack of consistency in their pass defense. The secondary lacked playmakers, the pass rush struggled, and as a result, the defense was a major liability for the team. The defense and their lack of stopping power were on full display against the Washington Commanders in the playoffs.
Fast forward a few months to the present day, the Bucs defense looks much different. Is it different enough, though, to be worth a start in fantasy in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons?
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In 2024, against the Falcons, the Bucs gave up an average of 491 yards of offense, which was when Kirk Cousins was the quarterback. The Bucs could not stop the running back duo of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Algeier, and the passing attack couldn’t stop a nosebleed as the aforementioned Cousins had career days in both games against them.
Now that we have destroyed their 2024 performance, they have brought in some new faces.
They have a new edge rusher in former All-Pro Haason Reddick, whom the team is optimistic about. Rookie Jacob Parrish is the new starting nickel, who looked to help the secondary in the preseason. And rounding out the carousel of optimism, Antoine Winfield Jr. is finally healthy. Despite all of that, though, the Bucs defense is getting the consensus ranking from ESPN and their analysts as the 16th-best defense in Week 1, and we agree.
There is too much unknown right now about the Bucs’ defense and how they will perform. However, this is a great measuring stick for the unit right out of the gates, so tune back in for Week 2 to see if this advice changes.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Is the Bucs defense worth starting against the Falcons in Week 1?