Fantasy Football: Buccaneers Vs. Rams - Who To Play, Who To Pass
By Stephen Dolan
The Thursday Night Football slate is winding down for 2015. The Rams and Bucs will face off as top-10 picks Jameis Winston and Todd Gurley try to lead their team to victory. We have the fantasy plays and passes for the week.
Quarterback
Play: Jameis Winston (vs. STL)
Winston is still looking for his first 300-yard game as a professional. He likely would've accomplished the feat on November 22 against Philadelphia when he threw for five touchdowns and put up 45 points, but Tampa Bay stopped throwing the ball when the game was out of reach. He has still been productive this season throwing eight touchdowns and just two interceptions over his last four games. Play Winston.
Pass: Case Keenum (vs. TB)
Keenum returned on Sunday as the Rams starting quarterback after missing two games with a concussion. He completed 14 of his 22 passes for 124 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in St. Louis' 21-14 victory over Detroit. In his only other start this season against the Ravens on November 22, he completed 12 of his 26 pass attempts for 136 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Keenum has not proven to be a viable fantasy option this season.
Running Back
Play: Todd Gurley (vs. TB)
Despite not getting his first carry of the season until September 27, Gurley has emerged as one of the most dominating running backs in the league this season; ranking fourth in rushing with 975 yards to go along with eight touchdowns. He is coming off his finest performance as a professional carrying the ball 16 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's win over the Lions. The rookie back has a unique blend of speed and power making him a home run threat every time he carries the ball. Play Gurley.
Play: Doug Martin (vs. STL)
You really can't go wrong with either running back this week. Martin ranks second in the NFL in rushing with 1,214 yards and five touchdowns as he is really turning things up of late. He has rushed for at least 81 yards and a touchdown in each of his last two games and posted 97 and 235 yards respectively in the two games prior to his recent touchdown streak. Martin is certainly a good option at running back this week.
Wide Receiver
Play: Mike Evans (vs. STL)
Evans is a quarterback's dream target, standing at 6-foot-5, 231 pounds with impressive vertical skills and speed to beat corners deep. He has game-changing potential as shown by his two games this season where he posted 150 or more receiving yards. Evans leads the team in receiving with 859 yards but is coming off a relatively quiet game against the New Orleans Saints where he caught three of his four targets for 39 yards and no touchdowns. Despite the bad week last week, play Evans.
Pass: Kenny Britt (vs. TB)
Britt leads the Rams in receiving, but that isn't saying much as he only has 480 yards on the year. He has posted just one game with 100 receiving yards coming on September 27 and his only touchdown reception of the year came on September 20. Britt has registered 76 combined receiving yards over the last two weeks. Pass on Britt.
Tight End
Play: Jared Cook (vs. TB)
Cook is second on the Rams in receiving just behind Britt with 412 receiving yards, but has yet to haul in a touchdown this season. Despite the lack of looks in the red zone, Cook is second on the team in targets with 62 on the year. He was only targeted once on Sunday, but had been targeted six or more times in each of the three games prior to beating Detroit. Play Cook.
Pass: Austin Seferian-Jenkins (vs. STL)
Seferian-Jenkins opened the season as Tampa's top tight end, but an injury in September caused him to miss all of October and November before returning on December 6. He has caught three of his six targets for 31 yards in each of his two games since returning from injury but has split time with Cameron Brate, who played in Seferian-Jenkins' absence. Pass on Seferian-Jenkins until he gets a larger role in the Tampa offense.
Kicker
Play: Connor Barth (vs. STL)
Pass: Greg Zuerlein (vs. TB)
D/ST
Play: Buccaneers
Pass: Rams
Steve Dolan is an MBA student at Villanova University and a graduate of the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph's University. Steve co-founded Whiz Wit Sports, a Philadelphia-centric sports blog, in March 2011 growing the site to win PHL 17's Best Local Blogger on the Philly Hot List in 2013.