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Buccaneers
Away27–33
Bengals
HomeFinal13 Sept, 18:00 BSTPaycor Stadium
Final · Details
13 Sept, 18:00 BST
Paycor Stadium
Week 1 / The match report
Cincinnati survives Tampa Bay’s efficient passing with pressure, poise and a tight-end twist
The Bengals opened the season by turning Tampa Bay mistakes into a home win, while both offenses offered usable fantasy clues beneath uneven headline production.
This game · verified box score
Explore the game data01 / The takeaway
7TargetsCincinnati’s tight ends redirected the passing game
Joe Burrow’s opening-game target tree tilted away from the expected wide-receiver hierarchy and toward Mike Gesicki. Gesicki paired a substantial share of the passing volume with a touchdown and explosive route efficiency, while Tee Higgins carried the deepest role. Ja’Marr Chase was on the field almost throughout but had a quiet box score, making this more a distributional surprise than a clean verdict on either receiver.
02 / The takeaway
20.30Fantasy pointsBucky Irving supplied the Buccaneers’ fantasy foundation
Irving was Tampa Bay’s most complete skill player, combining the club’s productive rushing touchdown with a perfect catchable-target conversion. The receiving deployment was especially important: his targets arrived behind the line, but he created the yardage after the catch. A lost fumble kept an otherwise excellent PPR outcome from becoming an even larger one.
03 / The takeaway
4.0SacksTurnovers turned a competitive game toward Cincinnati
Tampa Bay’s passing game was accurate when throws were charted as catchable, but Baker Mayfield’s ball-security issues were decisive. Cincinnati’s defense created repeated fumble recoveries and four sacks, giving a unit that allowed plenty of points a meaningful real-game impact. Tampa Bay’s own D/ST did produce a defensive touchdown, however, so neither defense was simply an avoidable fantasy outcome.
Burrow managed the win, but the opportunity left points behind
Burrow’s first game was a controlled, mixed fantasy performance. He completed a strong share of his attempts and added useful movement on the ground, yet the interception and modest touchdown total limited the final return. His expected full-PPR output materially exceeded his actual total, an opening-game signal that the available opportunity was better than the fantasy finish. The passing game also leaned on yards after catch, while Burrow’s charted catchable-throw rate suggests enough accuracy to keep the offense functioning even without a dominant receiver line.