Colts vs Buccaneers: Fantasy Start em or Sit em

The Colts are preparing for another daunting NFC South match-up, this week it’s against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Colts will look to get to .500 against the NFC South this week against a Bucs team that seems to be revitalized, with the help of rookie Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay is coming off a blowout win against Philadelphia last week and they are on a two game win streak. The Colts are also on a two game win streak, but are now dealing with some injuries which may affect this game.

The Buccaneers do not have a ton of fantasy studs beyond the names we all know, but their studs could be in line for big games against an injured Colts defense. The Colts on the other hand, may have to rely on big plays on Sunday, something they are not accustomed to. So let’s look at who should be in your line-up on Sunday and who shouldn’t.

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Start Em

T.Y. Hilton– The Buccaneers secondary is less than favorable, it’s better than Atlanta’s, but not by much. The Colts failed to reveal the Falcon’s awful secondary last week, at least until the third quarter. With Tampa Bay presumably bringing a lot of blitzes, look for Matt Hasselbeck to attack the secondary right away. We know Hilton is the Colts’ most dangerous deep threat, and he can also be a possession guy as well. Look for Hasselbeck to find Hilton early and often on Sunday, and that could translate to a big game for T.Y.

Doug Martin– The Muscle Hamster has been a bit of a fantasy anomaly for his entire career. Three years ago, he was a fantasy giant, scoring 54 points in a game that season. However, since then he has been unable to duplicate that success, and part of it is due to injuries. Martin has shown glimpses of his former fantasy greatness this season, like last week when he ran for 235 yards against Philadelphia. The Colts front line is injured and quite honestly fairly weak to begin with. This could not only culminate in a big game from Martin on the ground, but also in the air, as he’s a capable pass-catcher as well.

Sit Em

Frank Gore– On top of Gore being banged up, the Buccaneers have a fairly decent rush defense, only allowing 104 yards per game. I’d shy away from Gore and lean more towards Ahmad Bradshaw, simply because of Bradshaw’s receiving ability. Tampa Bay’s secondary is the most exploitable area of their defense, and if Bradshaw can get into the second level, it’s dangerous. Gore will get his snaps, but if you’re looking for more fantasy points, I’d maybe say Bradshaw(more below).

Vincent Jackson– Yes, the Colts secondary is fairly banged up. However, last week this same banged up secondary did a decent job containing Atlanta wide receivers not named Julio Jones. Jackson, has the physical assets to be a threat, but he is not the player he was in three years ago. He has always been a big play fantasy wideout, and this season, that tag has held true, as he’s only had three double-digit fantasy outings. That’s not to say you shouldn’t start Mike Evans, because he has big game potential, much like Julio Jones did last week.

Pick Em Up

Ahmad Bradshaw– With Frank Gore’s status in question heading into Sunday, fantasy owners should look to Bradshaw. Last week against Atlanta, Bradshaw was responsible for both of the Colts’ offensive touchdowns. He has shown that he will be more of a receiving threat in this offense. He will also be Matt Hasselbeck’s safety net, with a dinged up Colts offensive line, the Bucs will bring a lot of blitzes. This will leave Bradshaw open on check-downs and could translate to some big plays. I think it’s vital for you to pick Bradshaw up this week, especially if you have Frank Gore. In ESPN standard Bradshaw is owned by only 10.6 percent of owners, so get him while you still can!

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The game itself should be a fun to watch, but in terms of fantasy performance it may be limited. I’m advising that you should think cautiously about playing your Colts and Buccaneers beyond the “stars”. Ultimately, that will be up to you and I wish you good luck and good odds in your fantasy week.