Should I start Cade Otton? Week 8 Fantasy Outlook for Buccaneers TE

Fantasy football managers have a chance to take a look at Cade Otton and decide whether to start the Buccaneers tight end in Week 8. He has been a steady figure in Tampa Bay as they have transitioned from Tom Brady at quarterback to Baker Mayfield calling the shots now.

Cade Otton had 391 yards in 2022 and featured in 16 games. He recorded two touchdowns. His output increased to 455 receiving yards last season and he also had four touchdowns in 17 matches. This year, he has recorded a single score over the first seven weeks and 263 receiving yards already.

What should be encouraging to any observer is that the Buccaneers tight end is gradually improving every season. In his rookie year, he was averaging 24.4 yards per game. That improved to 26.8 yards per match in 2023. However, he has come into his own in 2024 and is recording 37.6 yards per appearance.

That shows his increasing importance. Below we evaluate whether it is enough for fantasy football managers to choose him in Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season.

Should I start Cade Otton in Week 8 fantasy football?

The Buccaneers play the Falcons in Week 8 in what is an enticing Week 8 divisional matchup. Both teams are vying for the top spot in the NFC South, and the pair of them are evenly matched with a 4-3 record. Whoever ends up winning this game will have to utilize every tool available to them and for Tampa Bay, it means making the best use of Cade Otton.

To know if he is the right person to go to, though, we need to compare him with other tight ends in the league. We can consider Travis Kelce and George Kittle, two of the most gifted players in that position. We can also throw in Dalton Kincaid, who has been a go-to guy for Josh Allen. Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer tool gives us an indication of what we should do in this instance.

Cade Otton Comparison - Start 'Em Sit 'Em - Week 8 - 2024 NFL Season - Fantasy Football - Sportskeeda Optimizer Tool Results

Based on that, we can see that there are better choices as compared to the Buccaneers players when it comes to the tight end position. Travis Kelce and George Kittle are playing on teams where there are top wide receivers injured, which is similar to what Tampa Bay is facing right now. Even Dalton Kincaid does better compared to Cade Otton, even when Buffalo is in a similar situation in Week 8 where they are taking on another 4-3 team.

Cade Otton fantasy outlook for rest of 2024 season

However, this does not mean that Cade Otton's outlook for the rest of the 2024 season is poor and fantasy football managers need to give up on him. In their last game against the Ravens, both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin suffered injuries, with the latter ruled out for the season.

That means that the Buccaneers tight end will receive more targets going forward. He was already doing better when compared to his last two seasons and that is only expected to improve in the coming weeks. After only crossing the 50-yard mark once in 2024 against the Eagles before last week, he recorded 100 receiving yards against Baltimore.

That had a lot to do with Mike Evans leaving early in the game. Now, with Chris Godwin also out, as mentioned above, Baker Mayfield is expected to target him more. The Buccaneers tight end has the opportunity to be one of the sleeper fantasy football picks who gradually improves over the year.