TE · TB · GWTTKB

Cade Otton — fantasy football 2026

Every game, every stat category, and what the board says. 8.15 points per game in 2025, an ADP of 185.1, usage worth 9.8.

27 years old · 4 seasons of experience · 2022 draft class

Updated 2026-08-16 · free, no account, no paywall
Every figure below comes from our database. Where a stat is not held, the row is absent rather than zero.
ADP 185.1
Consensus across 3 books, standard deviation 23.3, 41.6 picks between cheapest and priciest. Cheapest on sleeper, priciest on espn.
SLEEPER211.9
ESPN170.3
UNDERDOG190.9
CBS173.1
FFA183

Draft-room facts

Goes aroundRound 16, pick 5 in a 12-team draft
Positional rankTE71
Bye week10
ADP standard deviation23.3 picks

What we project for 2026

Our board has him at 102.8 points, 6.8 per game — 42.7 catches, 415 yards, 3.1 TDs. That is TE5, 179 overall.

The range runs from a floor of 3.4 points per game to a ceiling of 10.2, with the median at 6.8. Boom rate 49%, bust rate 49%. The spread is the actual bet, not the middle number.

He goes at 185.1 on consensus and our board has him 179. We rank him 6.1 picks better than the room drafts him, so the market is underpricing him — that is the disagreement worth acting on.

The offense he plays in, 2026

Tampa Bay Buccaneers returns 4 of 6 continuity slots, replacing wr1, oc. Baker Mayfield at quarterback, Todd Bowles as head coach, Zac Robinson calling it. The offense projects to 33.1 pass attempts a game at medium confidence and 27.2 rushes.

In: Ted Hurst (wr5), David Sills V (wr7), Kenneth Gainwell (rb2). Out: Mike Evans (wr1), Rachaad White (rb2), Ko Kieft (te2).

His own projected target share for 2026 is 11.8%, with a bear case of 11.2% and a bull case of 12.7% and a full range of 10.8% to 13.8%. That comes from 25 historical comparables, not from a depth chart.

The projected target split across the offense:

Emeka Egbuka20.2%
Jalen McMillan14.1%
Chris Godwin13%
Cade Otton 11.8%
Tez Johnson10.8%
Bucky Irving7.7%

Our written view on this offense in 2026

What the offense looks like: Baker Mayfield is likely the QB of the future for Tampa & they are actively working to extend him. At its peak, it is a high powered offense that you want to own pieces of. This WR room has a void to fill with the departure of future HOF WR Mike Evans. Godwin is aging, & Egbuka COULD become a true WR1. OR McMillan, Johnson, or Hurst could break out and establish themselves as low end WR2/WR3 types. All of them can't win, but someone will. This RB room is confusing and Tampa has recently run a committee. Unclear if that is because Bucky was hurt in 2025 but he didnt have a single carry inside the 5 yard line the entire season. This makes me think Kenneth Gainwell will see significantly more playing time than many people realize. Sean Tucker MAY end up keeping the goalline role as well. We will find out.

Key additions: RB Kenneth Gainwell signed 2 year deal following IMPRESSIVE season in Pittsburgh as their RB2. Drafted WR Ted Hurst in the 3rd round. Extended TE Cade Otton. Hired new OC Zac Robinson from ATL.

Key departures: WR Mike Evans left to 49ers in free agency after entire career with Bucs. RB Rachaad White left to Commanders in free agency (RB2 and filled in when Irving was injured).

Notes: Emeka Egbuka is primed for a MASSIVE breakout if Baker Mayfield has strong 2026 season. Mike Evans left team in free agency for 49ers, opening up opportunity for Jalen McMillan & Tez Johnson & Ted Hurst 3rd round draft pick (young & productive WR). Chris Godwin aging & struggles to produce but could have decent low end WR2/WR3 role over next few years. Bucs signed Kenneth Gainwell in free agency who was HIGHLY productive in Pittsburgh. Strong concern for Bucky Irving owners. We will have to see how the RB split carries. Will get a better idea through the summer and camp. Worth note, if the Bucs do not perform well in 2026, Todd Bowles is going to get fired. Expect his best product or he's done.

How the volume number was reached: Same QB Baker Mayfield returning — anchor to 2025 actuals (32.8 att/g); Regressed 42% toward league mean 33.5, floored at 30 → 33.1 att/g; New OC Zac Robinson — pass rate and tempo may shift.

How that share projection was built

25 historical comps for TEs age ~25, prior share 17.1%, same team, OC change. Distribution: median 16.1%, p25-p75 [13.2%, 18.0%], tails [11.7%, 21.4%]. Closest comps: Cade Otton 2024→2025 (TB: 15.6%→17.4%); Dalton Schultz 2020→2021 (DAL: 14.6%→17.2%); Tyler Conklin 2022→2023 (NYJ: 14.8%→15.5%). Adjustment: -6% from role_decline (real opportunity collapse)

self-anchored 58% to own 17.1% role (3yr), 42% to comp median 16.1%

The named comps are the closest historical matches and the arrow is what their share actually did the following season. That is the working, not a summary of it — if you disagree with the projection, this is the part to argue with.

Offensive environment: TB rates 23 against a league average of 23, exactly at it on opponent-adjusted least squares (multi-capture merge).

2026 schedule

Opponent-adjusted pass defense faced, against 2025 ratings. Positive is an easier slate.

Full season-0.6 · neutral
Weeks 1–6+1.3 · neutral
Weeks 12–17-5.1 · harder
Fantasy playoffs (15–17)-3.7 · harder

Read this narrowly. Our own testing found that season-long strength of schedule does not survive as a draft input — defensive quality is among the least stable team properties year to year, and a preseason slate is built on last year's identities. The playoff-weeks column is the only one we would let break a tie, and even then it is a tiebreaker rather than a reason. The finding.

What happened when he missed time

From the absence record rather than a depth chart — who actually gained when he was out.

SeasonGames missedMain beneficiaryTheir PPR gain
20243Payne Durham+8.6
Read the full Cade Otton study →

Dynasty context not redraft

Everything in this section is about his dynasty trade value — what he is worth as a long-term asset in the trade market. It is not a forecast of his 2026 fantasy scoring. A player can be a fine redraft pick while his dynasty value falls, and the reverse. The redraft read is above; this is a different question with a different answer.

Where he sits in the dynasty value cycle

His dynasty value has moved +7.2% over the last twelve months. The market cycle classifies him as stable.

For context on how long this lasts at the position: the average career at his position produces 1.3 elite seasons and 2.3 startable seasons.

The five most similar seasons, and what their dynasty value did next

Matched on production profile — production-driven (pedigree ignored). The last column is how that player’s dynasty value moved the following year — a market outcome, not a scoring one.

PlayerSeasonTheir PPGSimilarityNext year
Jake Ferguson20247.561%+24.4%
Dawson Knox2022961%-18.1%
Foster Moreau20226.261%-33.6%
Tyler Conklin20227.760%-4.9%
Chigoziem Okonkwo20247.158%+2.4%

Of the 5 with a following season on record, 2 gained value, 3 lost it and 0 held roughly flat.

Four years of dynasty value

02,0004,0002023202420252026
Monthly superflex value, 2022-03 to 2026-07. From 0 to 2,692, peaking at 3,544.

The player

Draft capital and athletic profile

Drafted2022, round 4, pick 106 by TAM
CollegeWashington
Age at draft23
Height6′5″
Weight247 lb

Availability and volatility

Career PPR per game8.6
Week-to-week variation0.7
Boom rate28%
Bust rate28%
Games missed per season1.3
Injury historyKnee
Correlation between his posted line and his actual score0.56

That correlation is how closely the books’ posted line tracked what he actually scored, week to week. A higher number means the market has him figured out and there is less to exploit; a lower one means his weeks are harder to price.

Injury type matters more than games missed. Measured across our injury database, knee and foot returns stay below a player’s pre-injury baseline for all three of the first games back, while hamstring returns over-recover by the third.

The record, season by season

2025 · TB · 15 games

His best game was Week 18 against CAR — 22.4 PPR on 9 targets and a 40.9% target share, in a game that finished 16-14. His worst was Week 1 against ATL at 0, on 3 targets, final score 23-20. Across 15 games he cleared 20 points 1 time and came in under 8 points 9 times. In the 10 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 8; in the 5 decided by more, 8.5. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 9.8 points per game. He scored 8.15, 16.9% below it. The engine classified the season as unlucky.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1ATL23-200030010%86%
2HOU20-195.53425011.1%91%
4PHI25-313.9349010.3%96%
5SEA38-3512.14581015.6%92%
6SF30-1910.15651026.1%100%
7DET9-2413.57965018%97%
8NO23-384540020.8%97%
10NE23-2817.291282027.9%97%
11BUF32-444.82528018.5%97%
12LA7-346.14721022.6%86%
13ARI20-172.922907.7%97%
14NO20-244.93419014.3%81%
16CAR20-233.5221508%94%
17MIA17-207.3443309.1%97%
18CAR16-1422.47994140.9%96%

Production

Receptions59
Targets81
Receiving yards572
Touchdowns1
Points per game8.15
Yards per target7.06
Catch rate72.84%

Role

Snap share93.6%
Target share17.39%
Air-yards share11.62%
WOPR0.342
RACR1.39

Efficiency

Average depth of target5.1
Yards after catch per reception5.2
Yards before catch per reception4.5
Total YAC309
Broken tackles6
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted86
Receiving EPA per game0.2

Scoring position

Red-zone targets6
Red-zone target share8.3%
End-zone target share6.3%
Expected receiving TDs1.18
Actual receiving TDs1
Receiving TD luck-0.18

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game13 of 13
Yards per target11 of 13
Target share11 of 13
Air-yards share12 of 13

Who else ate

The offense threw it 558 times. He took 15% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Emeka Egbuka23.52%
Cade Otton 15%
Mike Evans11.48%
Sterling Shepard9.81%
Chris Godwin9.44%
Rachaad White8.33%

Blowouts against close games

2 of his 15 games were blowouts, 11.5% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 7.05 in those and 7.97 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2024 · TB · 14 games

His best game was Week 8 against ATL — 29.1 PPR on 10 targets and a 21.7% target share, in a game that finished 26-31. His worst was Week 2 against DET at -0.4, on 2 targets, final score 20-16. Across 14 games he cleared 20 points 2 times and came in under 8 points 6 times. In the 6 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 12; in the 8 decided by more, 8.5. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 10.5 points per game. He scored 10.04, 7.4% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1WAS37-201.512506.7%86%
2DET20-16-0.4020010.5%100%
3DEN7-269.77847025%91%
4PHI33-1611.26952019.1%95%
5ATL30-367.43444016.7%100%
6NO51-279.52615116.7%81%
7BAL31-4118810100022.2%98%
8ATL26-3129.191081221.7%93%
9KC24-3021.781177135.5%98%
10SF20-238.55835027.6%93%
12NYG30-741330010%82%
13CAR26-2364720020.6%94%
14LV28-13103470014.3%97%
15LAC40-174.42324011.5%92%

Production

Receptions59
Targets87
Receiving yards600
Carries1
Rushing yards-4
Touchdowns4
Points per game10.04
Yards per target6.9
Catch rate67.82%
Yards per carry-4

Role

Snap share92.86%
Target share18.44%
Air-yards share15.28%
WOPR0.384
RACR1.444

Efficiency

Average depth of target5.5
Yards after catch per reception5.3
Yards before catch per reception4.9
Total YAC311
Broken tackles6
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted88.3
Receiving EPA per game0.9
Rushing EPA per game-0.09

Scoring position

Red-zone targets16
Red-zone target share18.8%
End-zone target share19.5%
Expected receiving TDs4.65
Actual receiving TDs4
Receiving TD luck-0.65

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game9 of 13
Yards per target9 of 13
Target share8 of 13
Air-yards share8 of 13

Who else ate

The offense threw it 571 times. He took 15.45% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Mike Evans19.54%
Cade Otton 15.45%
Chris Godwin11.01%
Jalen McMillan10.3%
Rachaad White10.12%
Bucky Irving9.24%

Blowouts against close games

6 of his 14 games were blowouts, 28.7% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 6.72 in those and 12.05 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2023 · TB · 17 games

His best game was Week 9 against HOU — 25 PPR on 9 targets and a 30% target share, in a game that finished 37-39. His worst was Week 13 against CAR at 0, on 0 targets, final score 21-18. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 1 time and came in under 8 points 9 times. In the 7 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 9.3; in the 10 decided by more, 5.4. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 8.3 points per game. He scored 6.97, 1.5% above it. The engine classified the season as neutral. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 5 against 3.19 expected, a gap of 1.8.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1MIN20-173.9231909.4%97%
2CHI27-1710.16641018.8%97%
3PHI11-252.6121608%91%
4NO26-910.33413113.3%100%
6DET6-202.5121505.4%96%
7ATL13-169.35643014.6%96%
8BUF18-248.74627015.4%97%
9HOU37-39256970230%100%
10TEN20-632310010.3%95%
11SF14-278.94549011.6%96%
12IND20-278.54445013.3%100%
13CAR21-18000000%98%
14ATL29-259.62516117.2%97%
15GB34-206.4224407.4%90%
16JAX30-121.711702.9%97%
17NO13-2332610018.2%95%
18CAR9-05233009.7%94%

Production

Receptions47
Targets67
Receiving yards455
Touchdowns4
Points per game6.97
Yards per target6.79
Catch rate70.15%

Role

Snap share96.24%
Target share12.09%
Air-yards share9.24%
WOPR0.246
RACR1.359

Efficiency

Average depth of target6.7
Yards after catch per reception4.7
Yards before catch per reception5
Total YAC220
Broken tackles4
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted102.5
Receiving EPA per game0.74

Scoring position

Red-zone targets14
Red-zone target share19.4%
End-zone target share17.6%
Expected receiving TDs3.19
Actual receiving TDs5
Receiving TD luck1.81

Who else ate

The offense threw it 568 times. He took 12.18% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Mike Evans24.73%
Chris Godwin23.64%
Rachaad White12.73%
Trey Palmer12.36%
Cade Otton 12.18%
Deven Thompkins4.55%

Blowouts against close games

2 of his 17 games were blowouts, 10.1% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 6 in those and 9.29 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2022 · TB · 16 games

His best game was Week 9 against LA — 17.8 PPR on 6 targets and a 10.9% target share, in a game that finished 16-13. His worst was Week 12 against CLE at 0, on 0 targets, final score 17-23. Across 16 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 12 times. In the 9 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 7.1; in the 7 decided by more, 4.1. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 8.4 points per game. He scored 5.82, 18.3% below it. The engine classified the season as unlucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 2 against 4 expected, a gap of -2.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1DAL19-3000000%48%
2NO20-101.412406.1%49%
4KC31-415.9342907.7%67%
5ATL21-1510.36743014%94%
6PIT18-204.3232308.1%56%
7CAR3-2110.44564010.4%81%
8BAL22-273.52515011.9%91%
9LA16-1317.85668110.9%85%
10SEA21-166.53335010.3%61%
12CLE17-23000000%52%
13NO17-1614.861028118.9%83%
14SF7-356.8452809.8%59%
15CIN23-343112002.4%65%
16ARI19-163.22712014.6%84%
17CAR30-243.72617014.3%87%
18ATL17-301.511503%35%

Production

Receptions42
Targets65
Receiving yards391
Touchdowns2
Points per game5.82
Yards per target6.02
Catch rate64.62%

Role

Snap share68.56%
Target share8.9%
Air-yards share8.02%
WOPR0.189
RACR1.207

Efficiency

Average depth of target4.9
Yards after catch per reception4.1
Yards before catch per reception5.2
Total YAC174
Broken tackles2
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted91.2
Receiving EPA per game0.31

Scoring position

Red-zone targets17
Red-zone target share14.8%
End-zone target share13.2%
Expected receiving TDs4
Actual receiving TDs2
Receiving TD luck-2

Who else ate

The offense threw it 751 times. He took 8.99% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Chris Godwin19.64%
Mike Evans17.57%
Leonard Fournette11.48%
Russell Gage9.68%
Cade Otton 8.99%
Rachaad White8.02%

Blowouts against close games

2 of his 16 games were blowouts, 18.5% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 8.6 in those and 7.12 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

Ask the Coach about Cade Otton →
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