Buccaneers Stock Report Following Week 16 Victory Over Carolina

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did their job on Sunday, defeating an inferior opponent with ease and rebounding from a miserable loss the week before with a 32-6 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

The majority of Tampa Bay's contributors played well as the team won handily, some standing out more than others, while a small handful of players left something to be desired.

We've assessed both sides of the equation in the AllBucs Week 16 stock report below.

Stock up

Ke'Shawn Vaughn: Although it was primarily Ronald Jones II filling in for Leonard Fournette at running back on Sunday, it was Vaughn who stole the show with the first touchdown of the game, which he took 55 yards to the house. He finished the game with 70 yards on the ground, averaging ten yards per carry, although he dropped his lone target on a swing out of the backfield.

Despite the drop, Vaughn played well enough to take on a larger role in Fournette's absence. Jones will likely remain the Bucs' lead back until Fournette is activated from the injured reserve, but it wouldn't be a total surprise to see Vaughn come close to matching Jones' carries in a game at some point.

Cyril Grayson: With two breakout games under his belt this season, Grayson has officially earned himself more chances to make an impact leading into and perhaps in the playoffs. Especially considering Tampa Bay's wide receiver depth otherwise has performed subpar at best this year.

After his three-catch, 81-yard showing on Sunday, Grayson is now averaging 32.8 yards per reception this season with two grabs of 50+ yards. As the Buccaneers' passing offense is without Chris Godwin (torn ACL) for the year and Mike Evans (hamstring/COVID-19 list) temporarily, Grayson has a fantastic opportunity to make an impact throughout the remainder of the year. He offers track speed to stretch defenses and is an adequate enough blocker to help in the run game.

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson: Nelson joined in on the sack party on Sunday while Tryon-Shoyinka did not, but the reserve edge rush duo will have more opportunities to put quarterbacks in the dirt over the next two weeks as Shaquil Barrett nurses an ACL and MCL sprain. The status of fellow starting outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul is also in question as he missed Week 16 while nursing a nagging shoulder injury and has underperformed when he's been on the field this year.

I choose to believe Tryon-Shoyinka simply had an off-game as he's otherwise performed extremely well within his rotational role as a rookie, tallying four sacks and 32 quarterback pressures.

Jordan Whitehead: Whitehead has been a major factor in the Buccaneers' defensive dominance over the last two games (15 points given up) after he missed Weeks 13-14 with a calf injury. Against the Saints and Panthers combined, Whitehead has posted 15 tackles, including one for loss, an interception and three defended passes, and he didn't have his typical counterpart Antoine Winfield Jr. playing alongside him in either matchup.

Stock down

Ronald Jones II: Jones didn't play poorly against Carolina, managing a measly 3.3 yards per carry on 20 attempts but scoring a touchdown, but Jones was outperformed by Vaughn amid his first opportunity to prove himself in a starting role this season. Naturally, his stock dips a bit this week as a result.

Fournette will be on the injured reserve for at least two more weeks, giving Jones time to either bounce back strong or sacrifice more touches to Vaughn down the stretch.

Tyler Johnson and Scotty Miller: While Grayson soars, Johnson and Miller nosedive. Johnson has had numerous opportunities throughout the year to step up as the Buccaneers' No. 3 receiver due to injuries and is averaging 10.7 yards per catch with no touchdowns to show for it. Miller hasn't had as many chances due to his time in the injured reserve for turf toe, but has compiled only four catches 29 yards in seven appearances. Neither had a catch against Carolina.

Perhaps one if not both of these receivers will impress us in the limited number of games left, but Grayson and Breshad Perriman seem to be in better positions to contribute without Godwin and Evans available.

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.

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