Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Jacksonville Jaguars
This game was over at halftime. The Bucs’ were up 15-0 after the first quarter and 25-0 at halftime. They scored their first two touchdowns within 10 seconds of each other. Peyton Barber ran one in from five yards and then on the ensuing possession Devin White scooped and scored on a Nick Foles fumble. Foles had three turnovers on the day and was benched in the second half. Barber ran in two touchdowns and the Bucs’ coasted for most of this game. Jacksonville got within 14 early in the fourth quarter but weren’t able to get any more points. Both these teams aren’t really in the playoff picture in their respective leagues but both have key players for the fantasy playoffs.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
- Jameis Winston: 21/33, 268 yards, 4 sacks | 6 carries, 20 yards, 1 fumble lost
Winston wasn’t asked to do a whole lot in this one as the Bucs’ got up 25-0 by half-time and were up 25-3 at the end of the third quarter. He got a bit unlucky with Peyton Barber grabbing two touchdowns inside the red zone and the defense also scoring a touchdown. If you started Winston he’d probably hurt you without a touchdown on the day. It is encouraging that he still threw the ball 33 times in a game where the Buccaneers dominated throughout and he didn’t throw an interception. Going forward, expect Winston to have one of if not the most passing attempts each week.
Running Backs
- Ronald Jones: 6 carries, 8 yards
- Peyton Barber: 17 carries, 44 yards, 2 TD
Barber has been out-snapped and touched by Jones in each of the last four games. Of course, Barber dominates the running-back work this week and scores two red-zone touchdowns. Neither Jones or Barber had a target as Dare Ogunbowale (2 targets) is still the preferred passing game back for the Buccaneers. Going forward, it is hard to trust any of these guys but I would figure Jones is the guy to own and he will get the most work in closer games.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Mike Evans: 11 targets, 4 receptions, 53 yards
- Chris Godwin: 6 targets, 4 reception, 50 yards
- Breshad Perriman: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 87 yards
- O.J. Howard: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 61 yards
In a game where Winston didn’t have to force the issue, his top receivers had chain-moving floor games instead of the incredible ceiling games we have seen most of the year. In more competitive games we know that Evans and Godwin will be more of a priority for the offense. Perriman had his most receptions and receiving yards this week. He had a couple of highlight-reel catches and it will be interesting to see if he can build on this success going forward. Howard pops up for a nice game after posting 1 reception for 10 yards in the last two games combined. He is more of a dart throw right now as he has yet to put up consistent numbers week in and week out.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
- Nick Foles: 7/14, 239 yards, 1 INT, 3 sacks | 1 carry, 3 yards
- Gardner Minshew: 16/27, 147 yards, 1TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks | 2 carries, 8 yards
Foles was horrendous in the first half. He was statuesque in the pocket and his first three drives led to turnovers and Bucs’ points. He was then benched at halftime and we saw Minshew in for the rest of the game. Minshew led the Jaguars on a couple of scoring drives but the deficit was too much to overcome. Minshew moved the ball decently, but the game was pretty much over while he was playing. We don’t know who will be starting next week against the Chargers but either of them won’t be a recommended starting option in standard leagues.
Running Backs
- Leonard Fournette: 14 carries, 38 yards | 11 targets, 9 receptions, 53 yards
Fournette got all of the running back touches this week, per usual. He had the second-best opportunity share for running backs going into this week and that will not be changing right now. He had the third-most running back targets going into this week and added 11 to that total. He didn’t find the end-zone but he is top-five in red-zone touches so touchdowns will always be in play for him. He struggled with efficiency in this game–averaging under 3.0 yards per carry against the top-ranked Bucs’ run defense. Fire him up as a large volume RB1 going forward.
Wide Receivers
- DJ Chark: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 47 yards
- Dede Westbrook: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD
- Chris Conley: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 57 yards
Being down early, it forced the Jaguars into catch up mode. They attempted 41 passes but running back Leonard Fournette paced the team in receptions in targets. Chark was quiet today only catching two of five targets for 47 scoreless yards. He is the number one on this team and should still be started for most teams. Westbrook had the best game out of the receiving corps. He went for 60+ yards for the second straight game and now has 17 targets the last two weeks. Conley had seven or more targets in five straight games but only had five in this one. He is a boom-or-bust WR3/4 most weeks and would take a hit if Foles’ and his aggressive down-field throwing is benched.
Kevin Taylor (@ktbeast918)