Baker Mayfield Practices in Full for the First Time Since His Thumb Dislocation, and the Buccaneers Will Decide Friday on Carolina

Baker Mayfield is back on the practice field. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was a full participant on Wednesday for the first time since dislocating his right thumb in a Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, according to the team's official report and Field Level Media. He wore a glove on his throwing hand and split reps with Jalon Daniels, who has started the last three games.

Head coach Todd Bowles described the session as encouraging but stopped short of clearing Mayfield to start Sunday's NFC South game at Carolina. Bowles said Mayfield looked better as practice went on once he warmed up, and that the real test is how the thumb responds the day after throwing. He expects to make a decision on Friday.

Why Bowles is waiting

Tampa Bay has been here before. Mayfield's thumb swelled after a throwing session the previous week, and that setback kept him out of Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That history is why the Buccaneers are treating Thursday's reaction, not Wednesday's throws, as the key data point.

The stakes are obvious. The Buccaneers sit at 1-5 after Sunday's 26-19 overtime loss to Pittsburgh, a game in which Tampa Bay held a double-digit lead before the Steelers rallied behind Aaron Rodgers. Daniels completed 22 of 43 passes for 164 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, one of them while the Buccaneers were protecting a 16-10 lead, and a fourth-down sack by Jalen Ramsey ended the game.

The Buccaneers' injury picture

Mayfield's return is not the only item on a crowded report. Receiver Emeka Egbuka did not practice Wednesday and is listed with a concussion and a foot injury. He played all of Sunday's loss, and reports suggest the symptoms surfaced afterward. He must clear every step of the league's concussion protocol before he can play, which makes his Week 7 status genuinely uncertain.

Running back Bucky Irving also missed practice, but with an illness rather than an injury. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (rib) and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (illness) were limited.

On the Carolina side, quarterback Bryce Young (knee) was a full participant, per CBS Sports, while edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (hamstring) did not practice. The Panthers are 3-2 and have won two straight, including last week's 25-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fantasy fallout

If Mayfield starts, the entire Tampa Bay offense gets a lift. Daniels has struggled to sustain drives, and the passing game has not produced a reliable fantasy option during his three starts. Mayfield returning, even in a glove, would restore a quarterback who knows the offense and can push the ball outside the numbers.

Mayfield himself is a risky Week 7 play. A quarterback coming back from a throwing-hand injury can look sharp in practice and still lose velocity or accuracy late in a game, and Bowles has made clear he will not rush the decision. In one-quarterback leagues with four teams on bye, Mayfield is a reasonable streamer only if he is officially cleared Friday, and managers should have a fallback in place.

Egbuka is the bigger fantasy concern. If he does not clear the protocol, Tampa Bay loses its most dynamic receiver at the moment its quarterback situation is stabilizing. Managers should plan as if he is unlikely to play until he logs a practice, and look to the waiver wire for a replacement before Sunday's early games.

Irving should be fine. An illness-related absence on Wednesday rarely threatens a Sunday start, and he remains the focal point of the run game, particularly against a Carolina front missing Phillips if he cannot go.

Betting angle

Carolina opened as the favorite and has stayed there. ESPN, CBS Sports and Fox Sports list the Panthers at 3.5 points, while Complex and Sports Illustrated show 3. The total opened at 45.5 and has drifted down to 44.5 at most books, per ESPN, a move that likely reflects the uncertainty around Tampa Bay's quarterback and receivers.

Covers noted that a confirmed Mayfield return could pull the line toward the Buccaneers. If Bowles names him the starter Friday and Egbuka is ruled out, those two pieces of news partly offset each other. Bettors of legal betting age in their jurisdiction would be wise to wait for Friday's designations rather than bet the current number on speculation in either direction.

Verdexed's game-level outlook for the week is at /nfl/predictions, with the full slate in /blog/nfl-week-7-picks-2026.

What to do in your league

Rostered Mayfield managers should hold him. Even if he sits again, a full practice on Wednesday suggests he is close, and he has a path back to weekly starter value for the second half of the season. Daniels has no standalone value in one-quarterback formats and only marginal value in superflex leagues while Mayfield's return looms.

Superflex and two-quarterback managers face the hardest call. If Bowles names Mayfield the starter Friday, he should be in lineups over most bye-week fill-ins, with the understanding that his thumb carries some in-game risk. If the decision slips to Sunday, the safer play is a quarterback with a confirmed start.

Egbuka managers should check Thursday's and Friday's reports and line up a replacement now. The protocol leaves no room for a late surprise if he has not practiced by Friday.

What's next

The Buccaneers' Thursday report will show how Mayfield's thumb handled a full day of throwing, and Bowles' Friday announcement will settle the starter. Kickoff in Charlotte is 1 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX. A loss would drop Tampa Bay to 1-6 and leave it far behind in the division, which is part of why the team is eager to have Mayfield back, and part of why Bowles is careful not to lose him again.