The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding TE Cade Otton.
Is Cade Otton Playing in Week 10?
Otton is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Buccaneers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Cade Otton in Week 10?
Our guy Cardio Cade Otton has been the best thing since sliced bread recently.
That’s not true. Bread is good and everything, but does eating a sandwich really compare with going on a fantasy heater in the middle of the season? Maybe I’m biased, but I’d say no. Over the past three weeks, Otton has been fantasy football’s No. 5 scorer. Not at the tight end position but in the whole league.
- Jalen Hurts: 87.8 PPR points
- Lamar Jackson: 82.2
- Saquon Barkley: 71.7
- De’Von Achane: 69.3
- Otton: 68.8
He’s not on that list because of one of those outlier games and a few ordinary ones. He’s one of four pass catchers with at least 15 PPR points in each of those weeks as he consistently has been giving you a massive edge over your competition.
Of course, as fantasy managers, the question is about the future, not the past. I’d love to tell you that we’ve uncovered gold, and when Tampa Bay suffered their receiver injuries and you picked up Otton, you won your league. But I can’t.
He’s been great and will certainly have a greater role, but asking him to continue to account for 27.5% of Baker Mayfield’s completions or own a 41.7% end-zone target share is a lot.
With Mike Evans on the field, 2024:
- 165 routes
- 18 catches
- 156 yards
- 37.6 fantasy points
Without Evans on the field, 2024:
- 147 routes
- 26 catches
- 265 yards
- 70.1 fantasy points
This weekend, Otton draws a defense that is in the top five against the position in both YAC and yards per target. Next week, the Bucs have their bye, and in Week 12, he faces the second-best YAC team against the position that also owns the lowest touchdown rate allowed to tight ends.
Evans is expected back in Week 12, and I’ve already bet on Tampa Bay going under their implied team total this week (21 points) against a rested 49ers defense that is expected to get Christian McCaffrey back, something that should result in long, sustained drives and thus a limited possession count for the Bucs.
Of course, with Chris Godwin’s season over, I don’t expect Otton to fade into the abyss. I think he’s a top-10 tight end the rest of the way, but remember that Tucker Kraft run we had in the first month of the season? This feels like that — a player you start weekly in hopes of returning to the elite form we saw at one point and instead settling for the up-and-down production that this position breeds.
If I had the chance to move Otton for a Ladd McConkey type (consistent producer whose bye week is in the past), I think I would.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 10 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Cade Otton’s Fantasy Points Outlook in Week 10
As of Sunday, Otton is projected to score 13.3 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.5 receptions for 52.2 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the 49ers’ Defense
As the season has worn on, the San Francisco 49ers’ baseline in terms of defensive performances has risen. They started terribly but have now posted three games inside the top 12, broken up by struggles against the Cardinals and Chiefs. Generally, they have struggled against the better offenses and been good against the bad ones, which is not all that surprising.
Where we have seen the 49ers be good this year is getting pressure without sending extra defenders, and that has helped them be a top-five team in turnover rate. There is no real pattern with their worst defensive performances, but the trend of struggling more against the better offenses is going to hurt them in the playoffs, assuming they get there.
Do you want more insight on all other defensive units across the NFL? Head over to our PFN Defense+ Rankings for analysis on all 32 teams.
Cade Otton’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.Â
Conference Championship TE PPR Rankings
1) Travis Kelce | KC (vs. BUF)
2) Dallas Goedert | PHI (vs. WAS)
3) Dalton Kincaid | BUF (at KC)
4) Zach Ertz | WAS (at PHI)
5) Noah Gray | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Dawson Knox | BUF (at KC)
7) John Bates | WAS (at PHI)
8) Grant Calcaterra | PHI (vs. WAS)
9) Ben Sinnott | WAS (at PHI)
10) Quintin Morris | BUF (at KC)
11) Peyton Hendershot | KC (vs. BUF)
12) E.J. Jenkins | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Anthony Firkser | NYJ ()
San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Insights
San Francisco 49ers
Team: The 49ers won six straight games out of their bye last season, outscoring the opposition 207-94 in the process.
QB: In Weeks 1-7 last season, Brock Purdy’s quick pass rate was 74.1%. Since, that rate has been trimmed to 55.4%.
Offense: Settling. The 49ers have kicked a field goal on 26.5% of their drives this season, up from 11.7% a year ago.
Defense: In Weeks 2-6, San Francisco forced their opposition to go three-and-out on 28.8% of their drives, a rate that spiked in the two weeks before their bye (43.5%).
Fantasy: Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, and Purdy were the only QBs to finish Weeks 6-7-8 as a top-10 fantasy signal-caller.
Betting: The 49ers have covered six of their past eight games as a road favorite (those two losses came in Weeks 2-3 this season, outright losses to the Vikings and Rams).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Team: Will their fate depend on how they can produce on the road? Following the Week 11 bye, Tampa Bay plays four of five on the road (all of which are winnable: Giants, Panthers, Chargers, and Cowboys).
QB: Baker Mayfield has the longest active streak of multi-pass games at six straight (Josh Allen is second with four straight).
Offense: Tampa Bay has allowed pressure on just 12.8% of dropbacks over the past two weeks, easily the lowest rate in the league.
Defense: The Bucs have allowed opponents to convert 60% of third downs over the past two weeks (first seven weeks: 37.2%).
Fantasy:Â Cade Otton is one of four pass catchers to have 15 PPR points in each of the past three weeks, joining Justin Jefferson, Terry McLaurin, and Cedric Tillman.
Betting: Overs are 7-2 in the last nine instances in which a team on short rest faces one on an extended break.
