Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Seattle Seahawks
This was a great game, with both teams trading scoring drives that were more a result of good offense than poor defense. Jameis Winston made a few mistakes but looked much more composed than in previous weeks, and Russell Wilson continued to play brilliantly. A long D.K. Metcalf touchdown put the Seahawks up late, but Winston drove the Buccaneers down the field for a game-tying drive finished off by Dare Ogunbawale. Wilson put the Seahawks into field goal range to end the game, but after the kick missed Wilson’s heroics were needed again in overtime. Wilson came threw, leading the Seahawks to victory and preventing Winston and the Buccaneers from ever touching the ball in overtime. Seattle missed two field goals and an extra point and lost the time of possession battle to Tampa Bay 35:25 to 28:13, but was able to win thanks to Wilson’s incredible performance.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
- Jameis Winston: 29/44, 335 yards, 2 TDs | 2 carries, 8 yards
Jameis Winston was good today, doing enough to lead his team to overtime in a tough road environment and posting a strong fantasy outing. His production mostly came via throws to Mike Evans, and while Evans did most of the work Winston did a good job in delivering the ball on time and accurately. Winston had a touchdown throw wiped out by his receiver going out of bounds in the back of the end zone before coming back to catch the ball, and a long touchdown run called back on a holding call, or his day could have been even better. He was extremely fortunate on his first touchdown pass, an awful throw into traffic that was almost intercepted only for the ball to deflect to Breshad Perriman who ran it in for a touchdown, and he did have a fumble where he simply lost the ball when he brought it back in preparation for a throw. But aside from those two miscues, Winston looked good, particularly on several throws he made on the run. If Winston could use his mobility a little more to extend plays or pick up some yards with his legs, that would be a nice boost to his fantasy value. As it stands Winston remains a low-end starting quarterback who’s floor is about as low as it gets but who’s ceiling is up there with some of the best fantasy quarterbacks in the league.
Running Backs
- Ronald Jones: 18 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
- Peyton Barber: 4 carries, 15 yards
- Dare Ogunbowale: 1 carry, 1 yard, 1 TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 12 yards
Ronald Jones appears to have taken over this backfield, handling most of the rushing attempts and even getting involved as a receiver. Jones was effective today, and he looked fast and much more deceive in his cuts than he looked earlier this season. His touchdown run came after he broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and then pushed his way through another defender near the goal line, and if he can consistently run with that type of power he could develop into a good running back. He remains limited as a receiver, but his rushing work alone makes him a viable fantasy starter. Peyton Barber was barely involved, and if you were still holding on to him he is a safe drop. Dare Ogunbowale retained his role as the passing-down back and ran in a short touchdown to tie the game as part of the hurry-up offense. He could be considered as a fill-in if you’re really thin at running back and Tampa Bay projects to spend most of their game that week trailing.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Mike Evans: 16 targets, 12 receptions, 180 yards, 1 TD
- Chris Godwin: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 61 yards
- Breshad Perriman: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 42 yards, 1 TD
- Tanner Hudson: 2 targets, 1 reception, 12 yards
Mike Evans is really good, and no one on the Seahawks today was able to cover him. Evans went for 180 yards and a touchdown, and that stat line might even undersell how dominant he looked on the field today. Evans was too big, and sometimes too fast, for the defensive backs trying to cover him. If you own Evans today was one of the games you envisioned when you got him, and he should be in your lineup every week that he is active. Chris Godwin was heavily involved, as he saw nine targets, but mostly worked on underneath routes so his final stat line was underwhelming. He was tackled just short of the goal line on one play and should remain in your starting lineup for the foreseeable future. Breshad Perriman caught the aforementioned touchdown off a deflection, but his value is limited to very deep leagues or as a cheap option in DFS formats with big-play potential thanks to his speed. Cameron Brate did play in this game but was out-snapped by Tanner Hudson and Antony Auclair. Hudson was extremely impressive in the preseason and would be a really interesting fantasy option if he could emerge as an every-down player in this offense. He dropped a touchdown in this game, but he is talented and it would not be a surprise to see Tampa Bay incorporate him more into their red-zone packages.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
- Russell Wilson: 29/43, 378 yards, 5 TDs | 1 carry, 21 yards
Russell Wilson came into this game as the frontrunner for MVP and did everything he could to build on that lead. Wilson threw for five touchdowns, led a drive to set up a potential game-winning field goal that was missed, and led the actual game-winning drive in overtime. He continues to display great chemistry with Tyler Lockett as well as incredible composure when under pressure or outside the pocket. The only downside for Wilson’s fantasy value is that his team prefers to run the ball, but in games like this where Wilson is forced to aggressively throw the ball, there are few, if any, better fantasy quarterbacks in the league. Wilson only carried the ball once in this game, but it was a 21-yard scramble that put the Seahawks into field goal range late in the fourth quarter. That run forced Tamp Bay to play zone coverage in overtime to better account for the threat of Wilson taking off, and that led to an easy touchdown drive for the Seahawks. Wilson’s passing volume may fluctuate weekly, but his efficiency makes him a strong start for fantasy teams regardless of his matchup.
Running Back
- Chris Carson: 16 carries, 105 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 28 yards
- Rashaad Penny: 4 carries, 12 yards | 1 target, 0 receptions
His final stat line looked solid, but Chris Carson had a bit of an up and down game. He finished with over 100 yards against a Tampa Bay defense that has been great against the run, but he also fumbled twice which continues to be a concern for him. One of his fumbles bounced out of bounds after he had the ball knocked out from behind at the end of a 59-yard run, but the other was recovered by Tampa Bay and would have been detrimental to the Seahawks if Jameis Winston hadn’t given them the ball right back with a fumble of his own. Carson’s fumbles did not appear to impact his usage, as he was back on the field at the end of the game, but if he keeps losing the ball going forward it’s hard to imagine the Seahawks not eventually dialing back his touches. He dominated the backfield touches, even with his fumbles, and put his improved receiving skills on display with an impressive one-handed catch on a broken play. Do not overreact to his fumbles, but this is a situation to monitor. Rashaad Penny was not involved in this game and is just a handcuff to Carson at this stage of the season.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Tyler Lockett: 18 targets, 13 receptions, 152 yards, 2 TDs
- D.K. Metcalf: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, 7 yards
- David Moore: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards
- Jacob Hollister: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 37 yards, 2 TDs
Although he did it differently than Mike Evans, Tyler Lockett was also dominant today. Lockett looked great as a route runner, routinely losing his defender on his cuts, and Russell Wilson trusts him to get open on timing routes. His second touchdown reception came on a beautiful route to the corner of the end zone, and Wilson dropped a perfect pass to him just over the defender. The chemistry those two have is special, and Lockett’s fantasy stat lines will benefit because of it. His upside is sometimes limited by the low volume of pass attempts for the Seahawks when they’re not forced into shoot-outs, but as the number one option in this offense, Lockett is a safe start with high upside every week. D.K. Metcalf may not have the ability to run routes like Lockett, but he made up for it in this game by using his athletic gifts to overpower defensive backs. He caught a 53-yard touchdown by just out-running his defender down the field, caught a two-point conversion by out-running his defender across the end zone, and made a great catch on a back-shoulder throw to set up the game-winning touchdown. His size and speed make him an awesome big-play threat, and he seems to have cemented himself as the number two option in this passing attack. Jacob Hollister was surprisingly great in this game, drawing a pass interference call in the end zone to set up his first touchdown and later catching the game-winning touchdown by fighting his way into the end zone. There is a role in this offense for a tight end that opened up when Will Dissly suffered a season-ending injury, and while it’s too early to say for certain it appears that Hollister has the inside track for that role. I do not expect him to be as involved as Dissly was, especially in games where the Seahawks don’t throw for five touchdowns, but he is worth an add if you need tight end help.
- Dan Adams