Buccaneers

Def/Spec Team

DT Clinton McDonald (hamstring), DT Gerald McCoy (calf), DE Noah Spence (shoulder), and DE Robert Ayers (ankle) all missed practice on Friday and are in danger of missing Tampa Bay’s matchup with Carolina. The Bucs are surrendering 32.0 points per game and improvement will be hard to come by with injuries hammering their defense. The Buccaneers D/ST is off the fantasy radar, even in a potential matchup against Carolina backup QB Derek Anderson.

Akeem Spence will start in place of McDonald, who last played in Week 4 and was unable to get healthy during Tampa Bay’s Week 6 bye. The Bucs have been strong against opposing passing games recently in three-straight soft matchups and draw another underwhelming quarterback this week in San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick. The Bucs D/ST is worth a look as a streaming option in Week 7.

The Bucs are one of three teams without a forced turnover through two weeks and their offense handed the ball over five times in Week 2. “We work on it a lot, and I think when they come they usually come in bunches,” said coach Dirk Koetter of forcing turnovers. The Bucs D/ST hosts the Rams in Week 3, where they will be a streaming option worth consideration against Rams QB Case Keenum.

Atlanta has scored at least 23 points in every game this season while piling up an impressive 425.3 total yards per game. Tampa Bay failed to force a turnover but sacked Matt Ryan three times in a Week 1 win over Atlanta, and will hope to limit damage from the Falcons’ offense in Thursday’s rematch. The Bucs D/ST won’t be a startable fantasy option in Week 9 on short rest after being shredded by Oakland QB Derek Carr in Week 8.

Tampa Bay’s stellar defensive run included matchups against Russell Wilson and Philip Rivers, so it was not built strictly on shutting down inferior opponents. Forcing turnovers has been key for the Bucs, as they have forced 11 turnovers in the last four weeks after managing just 11 takeaways in the season’s first nine weeks. The Bucs D/ST has a tough upcoming slate of opponents in the fantasy playoffs, with a trip to Dallas sandwiched between two meetings with New Orleans.

The Seattle offense has been rolling as quarterback Russell Wilson has gradually gotten healthier after dealing with knee and ankle issues early in the season. Tampa Bay has forced six turnovers and and allowed just 27 total points in the last two weeks, but are looking at a tough matchup against the Seahawks. Seattle has turned the ball over only six times in 2016, the lowest total in the NFL, making the Bucs D/ST an avoidable fantasy option in Week 12.

Tampa Bay will attempt to prevent a repeat on Sunday when the Carolina Panthers visit Raymond James Stadium. Olsen hasn’t topped 100 yards in a game since his Week 5 outburst against the Bucs, and totaled just 44 receiving yards against Tampa Bay in 2015. The Bucs D/ST has averaged 18.0 fantasy points per game in their last three home games, and are a reasonable Week 17 fantasy option against Carolina.

This change to the Tampa Bay secondary won’t have a substantial impact on Tampa Bay’s Week 3 fantasy outlook, as they will remain a lower-tier D/ST option. However, the change is worth noting as coach Love Smith attempts to bolster a defense that got slaughtered by the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, then regrouped to beat New Orleans in Week 2. The Buccaneers will look to take advantage of Ryan Mallett this week, as the Houston quarterback has completed just 35 of 71 passes (49.3%) in 2015.

Despite the poor showing, the Bucs D/ST should be in the forefront of the minds of fantasy defense streamers, as Tampa Bay will host the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 of the regular season. The Titans allowed the sixth most sacks among NFL teams in 2014 and will be handing their offense to rookie Marcus Mariota, who may provide a reasonable streaming target as the regular season gets underway.

McCoy does have two sacks on the season, but has been slowed by the shoulder issue that popped up in Week 2 against the Saints. Tampa Bay DC Leslie Fraizer said of McCoy, “He’s not 100 percent, but there’s a lot of guys that aren’t 100 percent. He joins that club.” Tampa Bay faces Carolina at home this week, but the 30th ranked run defense of the Bucs will likely have trouble slowing the Panthers, who average 132 rushing yards per game on the season. The Bucs D/ST is not a starting fantasy option this week.