FANTASY FOOTBALL NFL PLAYERS

Posted: 9/28/2009 1:26pm et

PewterReport.com reports Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Josh Johnson will start the team's Week 4 game in place of QB Byron Leftwich. Leftwich will be the team's No. 3 quarterback behind Johnson and QB Josh Freeman.

The Huddle Take: The Bucs are in danger of quickly becoming the Browns from a Fantasy standpoint -- a complete black hole devoid of relevance. Johnson may be OK as a quarterback eventually, but for now steer clear of any Tampa Bay player if at all possible.

Posted: 9/27/2009 9:01pm et

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Byron Leftwich was 7-for-16 for 22 yards with an interception during the team's Week 3 game against the New York Giants. QB Josh Johnson replaced Leftwich late in the game, and he finished 4-for-10 for 36 yards.

The Huddle Take: Josh Johnson has been solid during the preseason and has been projected for some time to be the starter of the future in Tampa Bay. It is somewhat surprising that Johnson was brought in this quick after Leftwich posted solid numbers for the Buccaneers the first two weeks of the season. Fantasy owners should take this as a sign to watch the situation in Tampa Bay and look at either quarterback worthy of starting at the present time.

Posted: 8/28/2009 12:17pm et

The Associated Press reports Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Byron Leftwich outperformed QB Luke McCown during the team's preseason game Thursday, Aug. 27. Leftwich was 9-for-17 for 100 yards while McCown finished 5-for-11 for 38 yards in the game. Both quarterbacks had roughly the same amount of playing time in the game.

The Huddle Take: The job was essentially Leftwich's if he didn't screw up, and he was adequate. McCown's showing likely cost him any shot he had at the job, and first-round pick Josh Freeman (6-for-16 for 60 yards) proved he isn't ready for prime time yet.

Posted: 8/26/2009 1:39pm et

Jason La Canfora, of NFL.com, reports the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been contacting other teams this week to gauge interest in their quarterbacks after putting off a decision to name a starter, according to league sources. Two league sources said the Buccaneers have been calling teams, willing to listen to offers for QB Byron Leftwich, QB Luke McCown or QB Josh Johnson, a player thought of highly internally but who likely wouldn't have great trade value.

The Huddle Take: The Bucs aren't going to carry four quarterbacks, and with none of their candidates standing out they would feel comfortable with first-round pick Josh Freeman and any two of the remaining three. So might as well see if any of them could net something in return before kicking one to the curb.

Posted: 8/24/2009 6:20pm et

PewterReport.com reports Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Byron Leftwich will start the team's preseason game Thursday, Aug. 27, but QB Luke McCown will also see time with the first-team offense during the game. Both quarterbacks will play a quarter and a half.

The Huddle Take: Neither Leftwich nor McCown look like they'd be any more than a No. 3 Fantasy QB, no matter who gets the starting nod come Week 1.

Posted: 8/14/2009 12:23pm et

Jim Flynn, of PewterReport.com, reports Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris said QBs Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich will see 12-15 snaps each in the team's preseason game Saturday, Aug. 15. QB Josh Freeman and QB Josh Johnson are expected to see playing time during the game.

The Huddle Take: This competition is far from settled, so McCown and Leftwich will each get ample opportunity to stake their claim.

Posted: 4/13/2009 1:19am et

ESPN.com's Michael Smith reports free-agent QB Byron Leftwich has agreed to a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The Huddle Take: The Bucs aren't exactly set at the quarterback position, so throw Leftwich's hat into the ring along with Luke McCown, Brian Griese, and Josh Johnson.

Posted: 4/9/2009 11:25pm et

The St. Petersburg Times, reports free-agent QB Byron Leftwich (Steelers) left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without a contract. The team continues to weigh its options, but it appears unlikely they will sign Leftwich.

The Huddle Take: Tampa Bay is still in search of a quarterback to replace Jeff Garcia who has signed on with the Oakland Raiders for 2009. With the Bucs bringing in a variety of quarterbacks including Byron Leftwich, look for the auditioning to last for at least a few more weeks. It is likely that the Bucs will turn to drafting a quarterback to bring along but they are in need of a quality veteran to lead the offense at least for this season. Stay tuned for future developments.

Posted: 1/26/2009 3:02pm et

The Chicago Sun-Times reports the Bears may be interested in Pittsburgh Steelers QB Byron Leftwich, who is an impending free-agent, this offseason.

The Huddle Take: The former Jaguars starter has been solid during backup stints in Atlanta and Pittsburgh and would at minimum provide competition for Kyle Orton in Chicago.

Posted: 12/31/2008 12:22pm et

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports Steelers backup QB Byron Leftwich took the majority of the first-string snaps during practice Tuesday, Dec. 30.

The Huddle Take: With Ben Roethlisberger still recovering from a concussion and the Steelers' first playoff game more than a week away, this is nothing to be overly concerned with... yet.