Baker Mayfield Ruled Out Again as the Jalon Daniels Rollercoaster Rolls Into Week 6

Baker Mayfield is officially out for Sunday, which means the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are once again handing the keys to an undrafted rookie who is currently playing with house money.

Mayfield dislocated his right thumb back in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings. He is reportedly out three to six weeks depending on when he can actually grip a football, leaving him on the sideline to watch a guy who was not even drafted run the offense he just signed a three-year extension to lead.

"Adam Schefter reported that the Buccaneers officially ruled out QB Baker Mayfield for Sunday's game vs. Pittsburgh."

Jalon Daniels is not just out there doing cardio, though. He went into Dallas last Thursday and beat the Cowboys 24-16, completing 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. Beating Dallas on prime-time television is the quickest way to turn from an unknown backup into a local folk hero.

For the fantasy sickos and superflex managers staring at a barren waiver wire, Daniels is suddenly a legitimate streaming option. He racked up 1,445 rushing yards at Kansas and already has 87 yards on the ground in his brief NFL stint. Rushing upside is the ultimate cheat code when you are trying to salvage a busted lineup.

Now he gets the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are rolling into town after hanging 34 points on the Indianapolis Colts in a 34-22 win. Facing the Pittsburgh defense as an undrafted rookie is usually the kind of scenario that ends with a mandatory 48-hour ice bath.

But Daniels has already survived one trial by fire. Until Mayfield's thumb remembers how to hold a football, Tampa Bay is riding the UDFA rollercoaster, and it is officially the most entertaining subplot of their season.