Start 'Em or Sit 'Em: Buccaneers vs. Jets

Fantasy football suggestions for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets this week.

Entering the week as 13-point favorites on the road in The Big Apple, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have flooded Sports Illustrated Fantasy's start and sit suggestions for their Week 17 matchup with the New York Jets.

In fact, SI Fantasy recommends starting five different Buccaneers' players, each at a different position, while suggesting to only sit one player in the entire contest — that being the Jets' most reliable fantasy contributor.

You can find every Buccaneers vs. Jets start and sit suggestion for Week 17 below, via SI Fantasy. For players without a breakdown provided by SI Fantasy (those evaluations are block-quoted), AllBucs has its own analysis to offer.

Full SI Fantasy start/sit recommendations

• QBs
• RBs
• WRs
• TEs
• Kickers
• Team defenses

Start 'em

Buccaneers QB Tom Brady: Consider these factors if, for some reason, you're on the fence about starting Brady this week: Two of his top targets this season are suggested starts this week, the Jets own the NFL's No. 28 passing defense, and Brady has routinely dominated New York throughout his career, tossing 13 touchdowns over the last six matchups for a recent sample size. Seems like a no-brainer.

Buccaneers RB Ronald Jones II (RB start of the week):  Jones saw a near 45% touch share and scored 16.1 fantasy points without Leonard Fournette last week, and he should put up another nice stat line when the Buccaneers visit the Jets. Their defense has been brutal against running backs, allowing 26 total touchdowns and nearly 34 fantasy points per game to the position this season. Look for RoJo to shine for the Bucs in the Big Apple.

Buccaneers WR Antonio Brown: The Buccaneers leaned on Brown last week in Carolina, as he saw 15 targets and scored 20.1 fantasy points with Chris Godwin and Mike Evans both out of action. With Evans now on the COVID-19 list, I’d consider Brown a nice option when the Buccaneers face the Jets. While their defense has been tough on opposing wideouts, Brown is matchup proof while the target volume is high.

Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski: Gronkowski is on a two-game stinker streak, scoring a combined 8.2 fantasy points in that time. Regardless, I’d continue to roll with him in a matchup against the Jets. Since Week 9, their defense has given up four touchdowns and the 10th-most fantasy points to tight ends. Gronkowski has also averaged nearly 14 fantasy points per game in his career against the Men in Green.

Buccaneers kicker Ryan Succop: Succop scored 14 points in last week’s win over the Panthers, making up for the goose egg he had the previous game. This week, he should have another nice stat line as the Bucs face a Jets team that has allowed the third-most field goal attempts and 9.7 fantasy points per game to opposing kickers.

Sit 'em

Jets RB Michael Carter: Carter is coming off a solid game for the Jets and fantasy managers alike, rushing for 118 yards on just 16 carries in a win over the Jaguars. While I like him more in PPR formats this week, I would beware the rookie in standard formats against the Buccaneers. No team in the league has given up fewer rushing yards to runners, so Carter will need to produce as a pass-catcher.

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.