NFL Week 17 Fantasy Football Recap: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers

• Mike Evans: 10 receptions, 207 yards, 3 touchdowns

• D.J. Moore: 6 receptions, 117 yards, 1 touchdown

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Cade Otton secures the top tight end role: Cameron Brate was a healthy inactive for Tampa Bay after starting the season as the Buccaneers’ lead tight end.

Brate started the season as the lead tight end, but a concussion followed by a neck injury kept him out for most of October and the start of November. This gave Otton a chance to earn the top role.
Brate returned in Week 10 but didn’t regain a clear hold on the starting role. The two players split time in passing situations through November and the start of December.
Otton gained control of the job last week, playing a clear majority of snaps. Brate played only eight snaps and was held without a target.
Brate being inactive only made it more clear that Otton is the leader in the clubhouse.
He didn’t have a great game, with two catches for 17 yards and a drop, but he was still a frequent target.
Brate is still under contract for next season but will likely be released to clear salary cap space. Otton should remain the starter next season.

Shi Smith’s best career game: The Panthers' slot receiver caught all four passes thrown his way for 70 yards and a touchdown.

The 2021 sixth-round pick started the season as the team’s slot receiver.
His playing time has been wildly inconsistent from one week to another, as he and Laviska Shenault have split playing time.
Over the past two months, any time a player saw their playing time increase one week, it would decrease the following week.
Both players are under contract for 2023 on reasonable contracts. Carolina could look to upgrade in the slot, but there is a chance we see this competition carry on all offseason.

Table Notes

• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.

• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.

• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.