Start 'Em or Sit 'Em: Buccaneers vs. Dolphins
It's Week 5 of the 2021 season, and by now your fantasy football team has begun to take shape as players have started to settle into their tiers.
Sports Illustrated Fantasy is here to help you navigate each week with start and sit recommendations, and by its observations, the outlet believes Sunday's game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins will feature plenty of valuable fantasy matchups.
You can find each Buccaneers vs. Dolphins start and sit suggestion below. For players without a breakdown provided by SI Fantasy (those evaluations are block-quoted), AllBucs has its own analysis to offer.
Full SI Fantasy start/sit recommendations
Start 'Em
QB Tom Brady: Brady isn't considered an ideal start this week as other quarterbacks have better matchups, but he's been lights out at home to begin this season and is facing a Dolphins defense that, while talented and sound schematically, could be without one of its top defenders in cornerback Byron Jones. Brady is also due for a bounce-back performance after posting just one passing touchdown in the past two games combined.
RB Leonard Fournette: Fournette appears to be the top back in Tampa Bay, as he saw a 44 percent touch share and played 63 snaps against the Patriots last week. He’ll be a solid No. 2 fantasy back this week when the Buccaneers host the Dolphins. Miami’s defense has been terrible against running backs, allowing six total touchdowns and the third-most fantasy points to the position in 2021.
WR DeVante Parker: Parker is fresh off of his best fantasy showing of the year, posting 77 yards and a touchdown against a top ten Indianapolis passing defense. It's hard to trust the Dolphins passing offense to create explosive plays consistently with Jacoby Brissett filling in at quarterback, but considering Tampa Bay's injury-plagued secondary, Parker is a risk to start that could reap rewards.
TE Mike Gesicki (tight end start of the week): Gesicki has emerged into a startable asset over the last two weeks, ranking third in fantasy points and second in targets at the position. He’s become a popular option for Jacoby Brissett, who will start another game for the Dolphins. The Buccaneers have struggled against tight ends, allowing the third-most fantasy points, and their secondary is a mess of injuries at this point.
TE Cameron Brate: Brate is expected to start for a second week in a row while Rob Gronkowski recovers from a Week 3 rib injury. He hasn't matched Gronkowski's production whatsoever, especially in the red zone, but has caught six passes for 64 yards over the past two weeks while Gronk has been injured. If you aren't strong at the tight end position, Brate is far from the worst option to plug into your lineup.
Kicker Ryan Succop: Succop hasn't put up huge totals so far, as he's tied for 13th in fantasy points among kickers. Still, I like him to put up a nice total in a great matchup against the Dolphins. Their defense has given up eight field goals and is tied for the seventh-most points allowed to opposing kickers in 2021.
Buccaneers D/ST: The Buccaneers D/ST tied for third in points last week in New England, and another great matchup against the Dolphins is next. Defenses have averaged the fourth-most fantasy points when facing Miami, which has allowed 13 sacks and committed six giveaways. Start the Bucs with confidence.
Sit 'Em
RB Myles Gaskin: Gaskin has been a massive dud this season, averaging 7.9 fantasy points in his first four games. He’s also losing touches to Malcolm Brown, who saw a 25 percent touch share last week. If that’s not enough to sit Gaskin, this week’s matchup against the Buccaneers is brutal. Their defense has allowed just one touchdown and 2.8 yards per attempt to running backs this season.
Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and other NFL news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
