Strong units converge as the Eagles defense stifled the Falcons last week and the Buccaneers offensive players were fantasy darlings with Ryan Fitzpatrick fueling the attack with more than 450 total yards, five total touchdowns, and zero turnovers.
Who, if anyone, from Tampa Bay are you trusting in Week 2 after their Week 1 surge?
Phil Alexander: First thing's first -- we shouldn't expect a repeat of Week 1's wonky game script for Tampa Bay any time soon. What we saw was a top one percent outcome for Ryan Fitzpatrick, and by association, his pass-catchers. Still, there is value to mine in Tampa Bay in Week 2.
Mike Evans can be trusted as the Buccaneers resident target-hog against the Eagles. Julio Jones (10-169-0) proved last Thursday Philadelphia's secondary can be vulnerable to a legitimate WR1. Assuming DeSean Jackson scratches this week due to a concussion, we'll also want to target Chris Godwin at an affordable price across the industry. Godwin flashed last week with a red zone touchdown and has excelled every time he's been given consistent snaps in a game.
It's interesting Peyton Barber was overlooked by DraftKings pricing algorithm. He actually came down $100 from his preseason price after touching the ball 19 times in Week 1, including on a team-high 27.3% of Tampa Bay's red zone opportunities. The Eagles rush defense is stifling, but Barber once again projects as one of the best dollar-per-touch values on the slate.
James Brimacombe: The Buccaneers offense looked locked in and the Eagles defense also locked in during Week 1, so not sure I would go chasing points from Tampa Bay right now. I like Mike Evans as a volume type of play this week as I see him being a factor in any game script that comes his way and with DeSean Jackson likely going to miss there could be a few extra targets coming his way. If I was playing GPP's I would likely look at either OJ Howard or Cameron Brate as a low ownership option as the Eagles linebackers could be tested over the middle of the field. As far as trusting anyone from Tampa Bay the only name that I would consider would be Evans based on his potential volume.
Will Grant: As others have said, the Tampa Bay explosion in week 1 is not something you can expect week after week. Philadelphia is on the road, but they are playing with 10 days rest and they are as tough as they come on defense. They absolute lockdown in the red zone are stingy as heck when the game is on the line. Julio Jones did great against them last week, but when the Falcons needed a score, Jones couldn’t come through. DeSean Jackson is a classic GPP play when he’s healthy – he seems to either explode or turn in nothing. This week with the concussion, he probably won’t play. That makes Chris Godwin a possible GPP play, but that’s about it. Evans is a potential stack, but I think ownership will be artificially inflated, especially against the Eagles this week. Personally, I’ll probably fade the whole group, or enter a Fitz, Godwin stack in an arcade type of match for little risk.
Jason Wood: One of these things is not like the other. The Eagles defense was supposed to be an elite group and merely lived up to preseason expectations. The Buccaneers were full of question marks, in spite of a compelling receiver/tight end group, and blew the doors off a Saints defense many saw as a sleeper in their own right. I agree with Phil that Tampa Bay's performance in Week 1 is quite likely an anomaly and shouldn't factor into forward-looking projections.
Tampa Bay is probably going to be over-owned, particularly Ryan Fitzpatrick, because of recency bias, and they're an easy fade. Phil is right to highlight Mike Evans as a potential No. 1 with lower ownership; he's interesting in GPPs. I think Godwin if DeSean Jackson scratches, will be chalky. Godwin is the only Buccaneer I would consider in cash games, but he's not a top target in my initial review of Week 2.
Justin Howe: I'm extremely cautious on Tampa Bay, of course. This is a deeply volatile offense, one that thrives or dies on throwing while the quarterback goes down and heart-stopping stabs into coverage. But Fitzpatrick is a fantastic fit for that. He's now subbed extensively for Winston 5 times and topped 275 yards in 4 of them. Throwing (a lot) to gifted playmakers at nearly every position, Fitzpatrick and company have multiple potential paths to big performances. They could lead an aerial assault as in Week 1, beating mismatches with DeSean Jackson and their massive outside guys. Or, they could fall behind the Eagles early and have to throw 45+ passes to stay afloat. In either case, Fitzpatrick offers tons of volume and splash-play appeal
Like James, I'm more interested in the tight ends in GPP formats. Mike Evans will draw tons of exposure from the DFS field, while Jackson and Chris Godwin still look to cannibalize each other for No. 2 targets. Evans is solid cash-game material - over those 5 games with Fitzpatrick, he's played in 4, and produced 95, 92, 78, and 147 yards. But he won't help you to differentiate.
