Those in TE-Premium leagues, where tight ends get a point and a half per reception, appreciate that those players deserve extra attention than in typical leagues. So let's monitor the Buccaneers situation at the position.
Cade Otton (leg) might miss Week 1; he hasn't been practicing. The Bucs haven't given many details on the situation, so maybe he'll miss additional time. Hamstring soreness and the unspecified leg injury may force the Bucs to rely on backups at the position.
Otton had value in TEP leagues last year. He averaged 4.2 receptions for 43 yards with 4 TDs in 14 games; that works out to 12.2 points per week. Not an outstanding starter, but viable.
The direct backup is Payne Durham, a fifth-round pick two years ago. They also have Ko Kieft and Devin Culp, who could also play, making none particularly appealing. But for the sake of discussion, let's assume the No. 2 gets most of the chances.
In Durham's case, there's at least some evidence of contributions when moved into a larger role. Like when Otton missed the last three games of last season due to a knee injury.
Those are the only games of Durham's career when he played even half the snaps; he was on the field for over three quarters of the offensive plays. He was reasonably productive with his chances, averaging 4 targets, 3 receptions and 27 yards, with touchdowns in two of those three games.
| DURHAM PLAYING 3/4 OF SNAPS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opp | Tgt | No | Rec | TD |
| at Dal. | 7 | 5 | 29 | 0 |
| Car. | 3 | 2 | 36 | 1 |
| N.O. | 2 | 2 | 16 | 1 |
Tampa Bay obviously has other receiver injuries. Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan (IR) definitely aren't playing. It will be Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, perhaps Sterling Shepard or one of their youngsters...and Durham.
Let's not go crazy here. Possible Durham does very little in Week 1, and Otton is back on the field in Week 2.
But in a deep TE-premium draft last week I used my last-round pick on Titans backup Gunnar Helm. I kind of wish I'd used it on Durham, just in case.
--Andy Richardson