Baker Mayfield Out 3 Weeks With Thumb Injury; Rookie Daniels to Start
Mayfield dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand and won't play for at least three weeks. Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels draws the Week 5 start vs. Green Bay.
Three-week absence tanks his value — cash out now if a buyer exists.
- Mayfield out minimum 3 weeks — dislocated throwing thumb
- Rookie Jalon Daniels starts Sunday vs. Packers
- Easton Stick expected to sign to 53-man as backup
- Mayfield: 274 PPR pts in 2025, our QB12
- Brett Rypien added to practice squad, 2-2 as starter
Baker Mayfield isn't going anywhere for a while. The Buccaneers quarterback dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand and is looking at a minimum of three weeks on the shelf, a brutal blow for a passer who finished 2025 as our QB12 with 274 PPR points across 17 games.
That leaves Tampa Bay turning to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, who'll get the start Sunday against the Packers. To shore up the depth chart, the Bucs are expected to sign Easton Stick — our QB41 (#237 overall) — to the 53-man roster as Daniels' backup, and they've tucked Brett Rypien onto the practice squad for insurance.
What Mayfield Leaves Behind
Mayfield was quietly one of the better fantasy values at the position, posting 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 picks in 2025 while adding 382 rushing yards and a score on the ground. That dual-threat floor is exactly what made him startable most weeks. A three-week gap wipes out a meaningful chunk of your season if he's your QB1, so anyone rostering him needs a plan for at least Weeks 5 through 7.
The Daniels and Stick Reality
Don't get cute here. Daniels is an undrafted rookie making his first NFL start against a real defense, and Stick has thrown for 1,129 yards with three touchdowns across five games back in 2023 — that's the entire NFL résumé. Neither profiles as a streamable fantasy option in standard leagues. Rypien, the nephew of Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien, has bounced around nearly a dozen teams and sits 2-2 as a career starter across 11 games. He's roster filler, not a fantasy dart.
The read is simple. If you own Mayfield in a 1-QB league and someone in your league is desperate at the position, see if you can flip him for a modest return before the injury news fully depresses his price — three weeks out is real. In two-QB and superflex formats, hold him and stream a fill-in; his 2025 production says he's worth waiting on once the thumb heals. As for the Bucs' backups, leave Daniels and Stick on the wire unless you're in a deep dynasty setup scrounging for lottery tickets.
