When the slumping Buccaneers and inconsistent Ravens face each other in Baltimore to begin Week 8 on "Thursday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video), there will be plenty of fantasy start 'em, sit 'em questions for players on both sides.
While Tom Brady and Lamar Jackson have disappointed as QB1s of late, there also are concerns about their supporting casts. For the Buccaneers, wide receiver Russell Gage (hamstring) and tight end Cameron Brate (neck) have been ruled out, while wide receiver Julio Jones (knee) is "questionable." For the Ravens, tight end Mark Andrews (knee), running back Gus Edwards (knee) and wide receiver Rashod Bateman (foot) are all "questionable," but there's a fair chance all will play.
With all that in mind, here's breaking down the entire start 'em sit 'em picture for Thursday night, including a couple of DFS lineup suggestions for FanDuel and DraftKings:
TNF INJURY UPDATES: Andrews | Bateman | Edwards | Julio
Buccaneers: Who to start or sit in fantasy football on Thursday night
Sit: QB Tom Brady
It's temping to put him in there because the Ravens have given up some big QB games, but those were to Tua Tagovailoa in a crazy comeback and Josh Allen. Brady and the Bucs' passing game isn't performing well, coming off two lackluster games against the Steelers and Panthers. The Ravens' adjustment to cut down on blitzing to help their secondary has paid off. Brady is a low-upside play as QB1.
MORE TNF: DK lineup | FD lineup
Start: RB Leonard Fournette
The Buccaneers have been historically inept on the ground, averaging just three yards per carry as a team. Playoff Lenny has been forced to get his with short passes and touchdown potential. The Bucs should be a little more committed to him this week to get him going. If not, Rachaad White might be in line for more touches in upcoming games.
WEEK 8 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Start: WR Mike Evans
Evans rebounded last week after his dropped would-be TD reception to put together an acceptable PPR-friendly day with high volume. The Ravens will have veteran cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey play through their injuries, but Evans should do his usual short-catch work even if they contain the deep shots.
Start: WR Chris Godwin
Godwin has a pretty good shot to get it done with volume in the slot with Russell Gage (hamstring) on the shelf and Julio Jones (knee) very iffy for a return. It's hard to expect a TD from him, but Brady should feed him often.
WEEK 8 PPR RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Start: TE Cade Otton
Partially due to the loss of safety Marcus Williams (wrist), the Ravens have been vulnerable in coverage against tight ends, and Otton has started to feel it as a receiver with Cameron Brate (neck) not available. With no Gage, Otton needs to be a key target for Brady, so a floor of five catches for 50 yards is definitely in play.
WEEK 8 STANDARD RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Start: K Ryan Succop
Succop has benefitted from the Bucs' red-zone struggles to maintain his status as a top-12 scoring kicker. He has a good shot for at least a couple of field goals.
WEEK 8 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
Sit: Buccaneers D/ST
The Buccaneers keep getting played in fantasy, and they keep disappointing because this isn't the same run-stopping and pass-rushing force. Playmakers Carlton Davis (hip), Antoine Winfield Jr. (concussion), and Sean Murphy-Bunting (quad) are all out in the secondary, and the Ravens give up little to defenses in fantasy.
WEEK 8 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Ravens: Who to start or sit in fantasy football on Thursday night
Start: QB Lamar Jackson
Jackson has had trouble putting up numbers with limited receiving pop around him, and his running also has seen a capped ceiling with the traditional rushing attack being revived the past two weeks. Still, he should get at least one TD here with 60 yards on the ground, so he starts with a pretty good floor. He's more of a back-end QB1 this week.
Start: RB Gus Edwards | Sit: RB Kenyan Drake
Edwards (knee) should go again and try to stay red hot with his chunk power running against a suddenyl struggling front that just got gashed by the Panthers' D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard. Drake can be played only if Edwards is inactive after he was relegated to a nothing role last week.
Start: WR Rashod Bateman | Sit: WR Devin Duvernay
Bateman should see more regular snaps coming back from his foot injury and the Ravens desperately need him against a thinned-out secondary. He can work over their remaining defensive backs. Duvernay is big-play dependent and only worth a dice roll in very deep standard leagues given his limited volume.
Start; TE Mark Andrews
Andrews played regular snaps through his knee injury against the Browns, but was strangely held without a catch, recording one rush for four years. The Ravens' offense needs his receiving presence to boost Jackson, and the Bucs have struggled to cover his position. No Winfield makes it even more imperative to make sure Andrews sees his regular targets. If Andrews can't go, it would be a committee of Josh Oliver and rookie Isaiah Likely.
Start: K Justin Tucker
Tucker is the top-scoring kicker in fantasy, which comes as no shock. He's been money again and showing all kinds of future Hall-of-Fame swag. It's not over until the Thin Man Sings ... and hits a long game-winning field goal.
Sit: Ravens D/ST
This is also a tempting group, but Brady tends to limit sack potential and does a good job to protect from giving away the ball even when the passing game is slumping. The Ravens are not a strong option in 12-team leagues.
Buccaneers vs. Ravens: FanDuel single-game lineup
- MVP (1.5X): QB Lamar Jackson $17,500
- AnyFLEX: QB Tom Brady $15,000
- AnyFLEX: K Justin Tucker $9,500
- AnyFLEX: K Ryan Succop $9,000
- AnyFLEX: TE Cade Otton $8,000
Let's get weird with two QBs, two kickers, and a sneaky tight end play. Here's hoping Jackson and Brady can eke out two total TDs each (one to Otton, please) with mostly field goals otherwise.
Buccaneers vs. Ravens: DraftKings Showdown lineup
- Captain (1.5X): WR Rashod Bateman ($10.500)
- FLEX: QB Lamar Jackson $11,800
- FLEX: WR Chris Godwin $9,000
- FLEX: RB Leonard Fournette $8,800
- FLEX: TE Cade Otton $5,000
- FLEX: K Justin Tucker $4,000
Bateman, should he be near full speed, can win post big numbers with his speed and route-running while stacking with Jackson. We like Otton and Tucker again here, and the pricing allows us to also attach from Fournette and Godwin from the Bucs' offense.
