Fantasy News

Antonio Brown scores in win over the Bucs.

Brown caught six passes for 50 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown in the second quarter of a 30-27 victory. On the score, Brown caught a smoke route and easily got past Brent Grimes and Justin Evans for six, but it was by no means the monster performance that was perhaps expected after AB’s frustration last week. Pittsburgh’s superstar receiver will probably not make much noise to cause a distraction for the rest of the season after his image took a slight hit, but it’s fair to wonder is JuJu Smith-Schuster’s emergence will knock him off the no-doubt, every-week high-end WR1 pedestal. Either way, Brown should obviously be in lineups against Baltimore next Sunday night.

9/24/18 - 11:51 PM ET

Chris Godwin scores against the Steelers.

It was an up-and-down game for the second-year receiver, as his hands were surprisingly inconsistent and he lost a fumble, but he made plays throughout the night and helped the Buccaneers climb back into the game. Godwin had five receptions for 74 yards and one touchdown along with one fumble in the loss, with the score coming on a nice route in the back of the end zone where he faked in before breaking out and high-pointing a Ryan Fitzpatrick throw. Godwin has a score in each of the first three games of the season, and he’s a FLEX option for Week 4 against the Bears.

9/24/18 - 11:49 PM ET

Mike Evans has another big game but the Bucs lose to the Steelers.

Evans was targeted a team-high 11 times in the Monday night loss, catching six passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. Evans had a 51-yard reception on a deep ball, and he had a 24-yard touchdown on a pass to the end zone in the fourth quarter. There seemed to be a miscommunication on one of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s interceptions, but overall it was another great game to start the season for Evans. The fifth-year receiver has at least 83 yards and a touchdown in each of his first three games, and he’ll remain a strong option in Week 3 fantasy lineups.

9/24/18 - 11:47 PM ET

JuJu Smith-Schuster stays hot in win over the Bucs.

Smith-Schuster caught a team-high nine passes for 116 yards in a 30-27 victory on Monday Night Football. Through three games this season, JuJu has gone for lines of 5/119, 13/121/1, and tonight’s 9/116. The second-year wideout looks like an every-week WR1 that was clearly undervalued in fantasy drafts over the summer, but he should be in all lineups next Sunday night against the Ravens.

9/24/18 - 11:46 PM ET

Steven Ridley handles three touches in Week 3 victory.

Ridley rushed three times for 18 yards on Monday Night Football. The Steelers have been feeding James Conner to start the season, but Ridley saw a bit of playing time against Tampa Bay. The veteran is just a handcuff that probably isn’t worth rostering.

9/24/18 - 11:43 PM ET

Jacquizz Rodgers gets four touches in Buccaneers’ loss.

Rodgers had two carries for -1 yard and two receptions (on three targets) for 18 yards against the Steelers. He notably had a key 11-yard reception that he took for a first down on a dump off. Rodgers is not a highly-recommended fantasy option behind Peyton Barber in Tampa Bay’s backfield.

9/24/18 - 11:43 PM ET

James Conner handles 20 touches in win over the Bucs.

Conner sued 15 times for 61 yards and caught five passes for 34 yards in a 30-27 victory. The second-year back was bottled up for most of the night, but he finally got going on the ground when Pittsburgh needed it, including a 17-yard run to seal the game. With the Le’Veon Bell saga having no end in sight, Conner is fully expected to be the team’s workhorse next Sunday night against the Ravens. It will be interesting to see how he fares in a difficult matchup, but Conner is at least a high-end RB2 and likely still an RB1 in all formats.

9/24/18 - 11:42 PM ET