Baker Mayfield to Test Thumb: Buccaneers Survivor-Pick Read

Baker Mayfield eyes a return for Tampa Bay

Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is "getting better" and will put his dislocated thumb through a Wednesday throwing session, a key checkpoint after missing the last two games. The test will clarify how close he is to being back under center for Tampa Bay.

What it means for your survivor pick

The Buccaneers aren't a favorite this week anyway — Pittsburgh is laid out as a 2.5-point home-side favorite when PIT hosts TB in Week 6, so Tampa isn't a candidate regardless of Mayfield's status. The quarterback's health matters more for the weeks that follow, where the Bucs are favored: Week 7 at Carolina (-1.5) and Week 8 at home against Atlanta (-4.5). Both are small-to-modest spreads, which already caps their appeal, and a quarterback working his way back from a dislocated thumb adds another layer of risk. If you're eyeing the Bucs as a future survivor pick, wait for confirmation that Mayfield is fully cleared before trusting those laid points — a short line plus a banged-up starter is not the profile of a safe pick. For more weekly reads, see our NFL survivor pool picks.