Tom Brady Fantasy Football Outlook Improves With Buccaneers for 2020 Season

For the first time in his 20-year career, Tom Brady won't be playing for the New England Patriots in 2020. While watching TB play in TB might be an odd, disorienting experience, this move is a real boon for Brady's fantasy value.

No longer saddled with an underwhelming skill-position group, Brady has a real chance to be a solid QB1 next season.

Joe Montana on Tom Brady's departure from the Patriots:

"I don't know what's going on inside there, but somebody made a mistake. ... I still don't understand how New England let him go away," per @JarrettBell pic.twitter.com/79j1sn7Sgd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 26, 2020

Even in his worst statistical season in recent memory, Brady still managed to finish as the QB12 in fantasy football in 2019. He did that despite playing with a pass-catching group that received a bottom-10 grade from Pro Football Focus. Now in Tampa Bay, he'll be playing with a receiving corps that received the third-best overall grade from PFF.

He'll also get a slight boost on the offensive line, as the Buccaneers' had the 10th-best pass-blocking unit last season, while the Patriots were No. 12, per PFF.

He likely won't be making as many downfield throws as Jameis Winston, who had the second-highest average depth of target (aDOT). Brady, on the other hand, was tied for No. 23. He may be willing to take a few more shots with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the receiving end, however.

Brady might not quite reach the same statistical highs as Winston, who threw for a league-leading 5,109 yards last season, but Bruce Arians' high-octane offense should be much more conducive to fantasy production than New England's was.

"Tom Brady is inheriting Bruce Arians, Mike Evans & Chris Godwin... He's going to win this divorce. His production is going to be outstanding." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/7MCIbNvyql
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) March 18, 2020

The days of Brady finishing as a top-three fantasy QB are probably over, but he has a real shot at being a solid fantasy starter this season.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.