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Bucs bench Fitzpatrick

Can Winston keep Tampa Bay's passing game humming?

The Bucs are putting Jameis Winston back in the starting lineup. They made that official today, with Ryan Fitzpatrick headed to the bench. Can Winston be a top-5 quarterback in the final six weeks of the season?

It’s definitely a possibility. He’s been plagued by errors, and came up with another Winston special during an otherwise successful fill-in stint yesterday, carrying the ball like a loaf of bread at the goal line. It got punched out, but Mike Evans saved him by recovering it for a touchdown.

Winston definitely will make plenty of mistakes.

But the Bucs are overloaded with pass catchers, and they’re passing the heck out of the ball. With every team having played 10 games, Tampa Bay has thrown for over 400 more yards than any other team.

Using standard fantasy scoring, the Bucs have posted the best passing numbers in the league. The Winston/Fitzpatrick combo has been more productive than Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Andrew Luck and everyone else.

Some chance that Winston will wind up back on the bench, of course. That’s the risk. But he looks like a very appealing option for the next two weeks. Both are at home against lesser pass defenses.

TEAM PASSING PRODUCTION
TeamYardsTDIntPoints
Tampa Bay3,6102523280.5
Kansas City3,055317276.8
Indianapolis2,691299250.6
Pittsburgh3,1252310248.3
New Orleans2,957251247.9
Atlanta3,146224245.3
LA Rams3,032226239.6
LA Chargers2,769236230.5
Green Bay2,900192221.0
Minnesota2,790197215.5
New England2,687177202.4
Cincinnati2,3932010199.7
Chicago2,350209197.5
Carolina2,300206195.0
Houston2,421189193.1
Philadelphia2,570167192.5
Seattle1,968235190.4
Detroit2,433179189.7
NY Giants2,579146185.0
Baltimore2,603137182.2
San Francisco2,2291712179.5
Jacksonville2,448139174.4
Denver2,4711210171.6
Cleveland2,2221510171.1
Oakland2,446128170.3
Miami2,077169167.9
Washington2,100115149.0
Dallas1,937115140.9
NY Jets1,9211116140.1
Tennessee1,837108131.9
Arizona1,6201114125.0
Buffalo1,59851699.9

—Ian Allan

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