Kyle

Trask

Mayfield was sacked on consecutive plays and was brutally twisted up and taken down on the second one. After the second sack, Mayfield’s right ankle was accidentally stepped on by Jadeveon Clowney, slamming the outer side of Mayfield’s right ankle down to the ground, pinned underneath Clowney’s body weight. Update: Mayfield returned to play but immediately threw an interception.

Kyle Trask is expected to get most of the Bucs’ first-team reps in practice this week with Mayfield struggling through a rib injury he picked up in last week’s loss to the Saints. Tampa head coach Todd Bowles said he expects Mayfield to play in the team’s critical Week 18 game against the Panthers. Mayfield’s Friday practice status will likely dictate whether he will be active against Carolina. “I’ll do everything I can to be out there,” Mayfield said Wednesday. “That’s for sure. Division on the line. Playoff hopes on the line. Going back to Carolina? Yeah, I’ll do everything. I can.” Mayfield has the NFL’s sixth highest drop back EPA this season.

Mayfield suffered the injury while attempting a sneak at the goal line. He stayed down for a while after getting piled on by a few players near the end zone. He eventually limped off the field, clearly in a lot of pain. Kyle Trask is now under center for the Bucs.

And there ends the most dismal training camp competition in NFL history. Mayfield gets the nod for opening day even after Trask impressed in preseason Week 2 against the Jets, completing 20 of his 28 passes for 218 yards and a score. Mayfield is probably the best bet for Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to prove viable for those who draft them as a WR3 or WR4 in redraft leagues. Mayfield is nothing more than a superflex flier.

Trask served as the QB2 in Tampa Bay’s opening preseason game a week ago but got the start this time around. He played a half of football before hitting the pines, but a neck injury to John Wolford brought Trask back onto the field in the fourth quarter. Trask took care of the ball while throwing a handful of strikes for gains of 20 or more yards. The Bucs’ coaching staff has made it clear that they value ball security highly and Trask turned things around this week after throwing an ugly interception a week ago. Baker Mayfield remains the favorite to start in Week 1, but Trask has at least made things a legitimate competition in Tampa Bay.

Trask’s starting chances took a hit with an interception on his first drive. It didn’t get much better from there, with Trask taking three sacks over his next three series before exiting. The third-year quarterback connected on a pair of deep shots, completing two 20-yard passes and averaging 9.9 YPA but this was a step back for Trask as he competes with Mayfield for the Bucs’ starting job. Trask is expected to get the start in Tampa’s second preseason game.

Baker Mayfield has already been named as the starter for the Bucs’ first preseason game against the Steelers, but Trask is set to take the reins in the second preseason game. Trask and Mayfield are locked in a training camp battle to be the team’s Week 1 starter. With neither having particularly strong training camps, the winner of this battle could be on a short leash come the regular season.

Mayfield and Kyle Trask have been disastrous during Tampa training camp. With far more starting experience, Mayfield would seem to maintain an edge over Trask as the team heads into preseason. Trask would probably have to outplay Mayfield by a wide margin to win the team’s Week 1 starting gig. Both QBs should be avoided outside the deepest superflex formats.

John Wolford, meanwhile, is listed as the team’s No. 3 quarterback. The odd depth chart listing reflects how close the starting QB competition has been in Tampa Bay training camp, where both signal callers have struggled mightily. While Mayfield reportedly had “momentum” in the Week 1 competition, Trask has come on in recent days. Though Mayfield’s starting experience likely gives him an edge, continued poor play in camp and in preseason games could force the Bucs to give Trask a shot as the Week 1 starter. Either way, things are bleak for the Bucs’ pass catchers.

As Fowler notes in his article, Mayfield “has command of the offense and is considered better-suited to run a Dave Canales offense.” He also adds that Kyle Trask has “come on strong in recent days,” but it sounds like Mayfield will get first crack at the starting job when all is said and done. The former No. 1 overall pick has far more game experience than Trask does at this point in his career and looked a little better in his five games with the Rams than he did in his seven games with the Panthers. From a fantasy perspective, Mayfield is hard to trust as anything more than a desperation flier in 2QB and Superflex leagues. He’s pretty much off the radar in 1QB leagues.