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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ARZ@ATL | MIA@NE | NO@PHI | IND@NYG | CAR@TB
DEN@KC | CHI@DET | CLE@WSH | JAX@HOU
SF@LVR | NYJ@SEA | MIN@GB | LAR@LAC | PIT@BAL

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.