TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS NEWS

Josh Wells - IR-bound for rest of season Tampa Bay placed Wells (knee) on its injured reserve list Tuesday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Wells sustained a ruptured patellar tendon during Sunday's win at Arizona, which will sideline him for the remainder of the 2022 campaign. Until Donovan Smith is available again, Brandon Walton figures to start at left tackle.

DECEMBER 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Could NFC South, with no winning records, have two playoff teams? It's possible

Though no NFC South team has a winning record, the Bucs, Panthers and Saints are still in play. Greg Auman breaks down the playoff scenarios...

DECEMBER 27, 2022

Devin White - Racks up stops in Week 16 win White recorded nine tackles (five solo), was credited with three quarterback hits and recovered a fumble in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win against the Cardinals on Sunday night...

Impact White checked in second in tackles on the night behind fellow linebacker Lavonte David and was a consistent presence around Cardinals spot starter Trace McSorley. White fell just short of his fifth double-digit tackle tally of the campaign with the productive performance, but his season line of 115 stops, 5.5 sacks, five defensed passes, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery afford him elite IDP status heading into the final two games of the season.

DECEMBER 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Lavonte David - Double-digit stops in win David recorded 10 tackles (seven solo), including one for loss, and was also credited with a defensed pass in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Impact David came through with a team-high tackle total for the second straight contest. The veteran linebacker now has four double-digit tackle tallies on the campaign and needs at least 12 stops over the final two games of the season to post his highest total in that category since 2015.

DECEMBER 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Scotty Miller - Blanked on stat sheet Sunday Miller failed to bring in his only target over four snaps on offense during the Buccaneers' 19-16 win overtime win against the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Impact Miller's minimal role was par for the course during the stretch run of the season, as the speedster has seen 15 snaps or fewer in the last six games while recording just three receptions for 32 yards in that span. With the Buccaneers' top four wide receivers available, Miller continues to project for sparse usage on offense over the remaining two games of the regular season.

DECEMBER 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cameron Brate - Plays just eight snaps Sunday Brate played just eight offensive snaps and did not log a target in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Impact Brate was outpaced by rookie Cade Otton significantly in snaps, as the latter logged nearly 60 more plays from scrimmage than the veteran. The disparity accelerated a season-long trend, as Brate saw 29 snaps to Otton's 43 in Week 15 against the Bengals and hasn't seen more snaps than Otton during a game in which they both played since Week 2. Brate still has one more season left on his current contract but would carry a modest dead cap hit if he gets released, so his diminished role may signal that his time in Tampa Bay is coming to an end.

DECEMBER 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

NFL Power Rankings, Week 16: Packers, Jaguars rise as playoffs loom

The Eagles stay on top while the Packers and Jaguars improve their playoff chances in David Helman's NFL power rankings.

DECEMBER 27, 2022

Could NFL eventually take over Christmas Day?

The NBA has long held Christmas. But whether a fully-fledged battle emerges over Santa's day will be an intriguing sports subplot over the c...

DECEMBER 27, 2022

Ryan Succop - Massive fantasy night Sunday Succop connected on field-goal attempts of 38, 35, 42 and 40 yards while also drilling his only extra-point try in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday n...

Impact Succop's 13-point night was a welcome sight after a rough patch that saw him go 1-for-3 on field-goal tries in the prior two games. The four field-goal attempts tied for the second most on the campaign for Succop, and the perfect showing pushed his success rate in that category to 85.3 percent. Succop could be in for another busy afternoon in a key Week 17 divisional home matchup versus the Panthers.

DECEMBER 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cade Otton - Two catches in Week 16 win Otton brought in two of seven targets for 12 yards in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Impact Otton notably checked in third in targets on the night for the Buccaneers, but his inefficiency in corralling those looks led to a lackluster fantasy performance. The rookie also logged a whopping 65 snaps overall, leaving position mate's Cameron Brate's eight plays from scrimmage in the dust. Otton should continue to enjoy a robust role in a key Week 17 divisional clash against the Panthers.

DECEMBER 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Julio Jones - One catch in return Jones (knee) brought in one of two targets for five yards in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Impact Jones overcame the questionable designation he headed into the weekend with to suit up and log 19 snaps from scrimmage overall. Russell Gage continued to run well ahead of Jones with 43 snaps overall, but the latter did have a 10-yard touchdown grab nullified by an illegal shift penalty early in the second quarter. Given Gage's recent success, Jones is likely to slot into more of a de facto No. 4 receiver role in Sunday's critical Week 17 divisional home clash against the Panthers.

DECEMBER 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Brady, Bucs can clinch NFC South with victory over Panthers

Little has come easy this season for Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who despite their struggles can repeat as NFC South champions and guarantee themselves a home playoff ga...

DECEMBER 27, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Panthers sign CB Norman; Horn to have wrist surgery

The Carolina Panthers have signed 35-year-old cornerback Josh Norman to the practice squad because starter Jaycee Horn’s status for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers i...

DECEMBER 26, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tristan Wirfs - Suffers aggravation Sunday Head coach Todd Bowles said Monday that Wirfs aggravated his ankle injury in Sunday's 19-16 win over the Cardinals, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Impact Wirfs had missed each of Tampa Bay's previous three games as a result of an ankle issue, and it now sounds as if the 320-pounder didn't make it out of Sunday's contest unscathed despite playing every offensive snap. More clarification regarding the significance of Wirfs' injured ankle should be provided after he undergoes further testing Monday afternoon.

DECEMBER 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Rachaad White - Garners 53 total yards in win White rushed seven times for 36 yards and brought in all four targets for 17 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Impact White played a clear second fiddle to backfield mate Leonard Fournette, who recorded 29 total touches to the rookie's 11. White still found a way to make a critical contribution, however, as his three-yard touchdown reception on third down with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation began the Buccaneers' comeback in earnest. White should continue to enjoy a solid complementary role at minimum in a pivotal Week 17 home clash against the Panthers, though how it will compare to Fournette's workload remains to be seen.

DECEMBER 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Rams, Bucs, Packers earn wins on same day in upside-down NFC

Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers led comeback wins and the Los Angeles Rams dominated Russell Wilson and the Broncos

DECEMBER 26, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Russell Gage - Strong contributions again Sunday Gage brought in five of six targets for 65 yards in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Impact Gage put together another strong performance despite Julio Jones garnering active status after missing the Week 15 loss to the Bengals with a knee injury. Gage's yardage total checked in second on the night for the Bucs, and he made critical 23- and 13-yard grabs on the game-winning drive in overtime despite appearing to hurt his leg on each catch. The veteran wideout's 18 targets over the last pair of contests is certainly encouraging after he played a minimal role for weeks, and it remains to be seen if Tom Brady will lean heavily on him again in a pivotal Week 17 home divisional clash against the Panthers.

DECEMBER 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Mike Evans - Three catches in OT win Evans brought in three of eight targets for 29 yards in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Impact It was shaping up as another highly inefficient night for the Tom Brady-Evans connection until the duo got cooking at the most critical time of the game. Evans recorded two catches for 24 yards in the Buccaneers' game-winning drive in overtime, helping somewhat salvage an otherwise disappointing night that saw him as the intended target on both of Brady's interceptions. Evans did cross the 900-yard mark for the season with Sunday's production, and he'll aim to eclipse the 1,000-yard threshold for the ninth time in as many pro seasons during a pivotal Week 17 home clash against the Panthers.

DECEMBER 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Chris Godwin - Racks up catches in OT win Godwin secured eight of 10 targets for 63 yards in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Impact Godwin led Buccaneers wideouts in receptions and checked in third overall in receiving yards while tying Leonard Fournette for the team lead in targets. The sixth-year wideout has now logged double-digit looks in the passing game in three of the past five contests and has at least eight receptions in four of those games, making him a highly valuable PPR asset going into a Week 17 divisional clash against the Panthers that could decide the NFC South crown.

DECEMBER 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cardinals' McSorley falls short in NFL starting debut

Trace McSorley had the unenviable task of facing Tom Brady in his first NFL start

DECEMBER 26, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS