The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel to take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 13. Here’s the final injury report and start-sit advice for every skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy football impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
And if you’re looking for all the latest injury updates around the league, our Final Week 13 Injury Report is live and updated with the very latest for all 32 teams.
Baker Mayfield, QB | TB
Mayfield’s Injury Status for Week 13
Mayfield is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Mayfield
How long is the list of quarterbacks that are more fun to watch when they are feeling themselves than Baker Mayfield? Heck, is it even a list? It might be a single name (Patrick Mahomes gets my vote, with Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson also in this conversation).
Sadly, “fun” doesn’t always mean massive fantasy numbers. His Superman dive into the end zone last week against the Giants helped his Week 12 bottom line, but with just one touchdown toss over his past two games (59 attempts), the floor is worrisome.
That said, this is obviously a great matchup, and the accuracy that Mayfield has shown (at least 74% completion in three of his past four games) allows him to sneak into the backend of my QB1 rankings this week, checking in ahead of Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes.
Bucky Irving, RB | TB
Irving’s Injury Status for Week 13
Irving is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Irving
Rookie running backs over the past decade have multiple games with at least 40 rushing yards and six receptions:
- Alvin Kamara (five)
- Saquon Barkley (four)
- Najee Harris (three)
- James Robinson (two)
- Bijan Robinson (two)
- Bucky Irving (two).
Now that’s a list. Irving might be on the fast track to fantasy stardom, and while I don’t think we are there yet, he’s made this backfield hierarchy easier to sort out.
The short Sean Tucker rushing score on the first drive last week was annoying, but you have to take the bad with the good. Irving was responsible for six of Baker Mayfield’s first 16 completions in Week 12, a level of involvement that is more than enough to lock in.
- Weeks 10-12: 55% red-zone snap share (Rachaad White: 45%)
- Weeks 1-9: 44% red-zone snap share (Rachaad White: 67.7%)
In terms of success rate, the Panthers own the second-worst rush defense in all the land, and there is no question that Irving holds the edge over White between the tackles. The rookie is to be considered an RB2 this week, and I think that ranking sticks for the remainder of the season.
Rachaad White, RB | TB
White’s Injury Status for Week 13
White is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for White
Tampa Bay’s backfield is very clearly trending away from Rachaad White, but he is holding onto Flex value this week thanks to his versatility and a matchup with the worst defense in the league when it comes to points allowed per drive.
Buccaneers RB snaps shares, Week 12:
- Bucky Irving: 54.8%
- White: 46.8%
- Sean Tucker: 8.1%
The Sean Tucker thing is what could be a problem. If his role gets expanded, a three-back committee is difficult to feel good about. White has earned at least six targets or run for a score in five straight games, a form that slides him inside my top 35 at the position, even as I continue putting air in Irving’s tires.
Jalen McMillan, WR | TB
McMillan’s Injury Status for Week 13
McMillan is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for McMillan
Jalen McMillan led the Buccaneers’ receivers in routes run last week with 22, but he managed to earn just two looks (one catch for 11 yards). The rookie’s role was limited with both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans succeeding early in the season, but even with various injuries, he’s yet to progress in a meaningful way.
Tampa Bay has committed to McMillan and Sterling Shepard alongside Evans in their primary three-receiver sets, but we don’t get points for snaps played, and up to this point, it’s clear that he’s not quite ready to win at the professional level (yet to clear 35 receiving yards in a game).
The post-hype sleeper potential will be there for next season, but as far as 2024 is concerned, you can look elsewhere for upside.
Mike Evans, WR | TB
Evans’ Injury Status for Week 13
Evans (hamstring) — who returned from a three-game injury absence in Week 12 — fully practiced before receiving a limited day on Friday. He did not carry any injury designation on the final Week 13 report, so he’s good to go.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Evans
Mike Evans was back on the field for the Bucs and immediately led the team in targets (six) and receiving yards (68) in the one-sided win over the Giants.
Was there some hesitation from Tampa Bay to fully unleash him? He posted a 10.8 aDOT in his return after missing over a month (four games prior: 13.8), something that I have on my notepad as something to watch, but not something that I’m yet reacting to, understanding that he could be ramping up to the role we’ve come to know and love.
This is as good a spot as any for the Bucs to return their WR1 to his field-stretching role – the Panthers rank 26th or worst against the deep pass in terms of completion percentage, yards per attempt, and touchdown rate.
Sportsbooks are projecting Tampa Bay for north of 25 points in this game. I don’t trust any other pass catcher in this offense, so Evans slots in as a WR1 in my Week 13 rankings.
Cade Otton, TE | TB
Otton’s Injury Status for Week 13
Otton is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Otton
I’m going to keep posting these pretty target plots in this space until I get some sort of confirmation that people are listening.
On the left below is Cade Otton’s target distribution with Mike Evans on the field this season; on the right, without. There’s a 27.5% dip in the average depth of his targets to consider, but I’m less worried about where the dots are and more worried about the lack of dots.
Otton has run 183 routes with Evans on the field and 188 without — he has more catches (32) with him off the field than he has targets with him on it (29).
I understand wanting to chase Otton’s season-long numbers, and heck, he did have a 30-yard catch last week, but we are talking about a player in a position to earn one target for every 6.3 routes for a six-point road favorite.
How many routes is he realistically going to run? Does he reach the 28 he did last week? I understand that Noah Gray scored twice in this matchup last week, but I’m dismissive of DvP data when it comes to the tight end position, especially when you’re talking about an offense in Kansas City that offers unique packages and another tight end to draw attention.
Otton isn’t a starter for me this week, and as long as the data doesn’t change and Evans stays on the field, that’s not going to change any time soon.
Bryce Young, QB | CAR
Young’s Injury Status for Week 13
Young is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Young
Bryce Young has looked better of late, and I think part of it is Carolina giving him the potential to do so. Against the Chiefs last week, the Panthers opened with three passes on their first four plays, a run of plays that saw their second-year QB complete passes to three different players.
It’s true that Young has finished inside the top 15 in two of his past three starts and that the Buccaneers defense has been vulnerable. However, starting him in a week with 31 other teams in action is borderline crazy.
It’s perfectly okay to say you’re encouraged by Young’s recent play while still not wanting to invest a penny in him this week — that’s where I stand.
Chuba Hubbard, RB | CAR
Hubbard’s Injury Status for Week 13
Hubbard is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Hubbard
Until the usage changes, there’s no reason to hesitate in playing Chuba Hubbard — he’s cleared 18.5 expected fantasy points in three straight games, his second such streak of the season. Jonathon Brooks made his season debut against the Chiefs on Sunday, but that wasn’t enough to stop the recently extended Hubbard from getting another 21 opportunities (rush attempts + targets).
The Bucs have allowed a touchdown on 25.9% of opponent drives this season, the sixth-highest rate in the league and one that the upward-trending Panthers could take advantage of. Hubbard has found the end zone eight times this season for the 29th-ranked scoring offense, serving as a good reminder that, while the offensive environment is critical, it’s not to be used as gospel.
The only rule of fantasy sports is that there is an exception to every rule. I encourage you to evaluate every situation as its own thing as opposed to casting a wide net (i.e. avoid all players on poorly projected offenses).
Jonathon Brooks, RB | CAR
Brooks’ Injury Status for Week 13
Brooks is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Brooks
Jonathon Brooks played 8.6% of the snaps last week in his professional debut (Chuba Hubbard: 87.9%), picking up seven yards on his two carries against the Chiefs.
I expect the team to slowly ramp up his usage to give him a taste of the NFL game, but I’d be surprised if he got much past 10 touches in any game this season. That means he’s unlikely to grace my top 30 at any point.
If he’s going to impact fantasy leagues this season, it’s because he cashes in a red-zone carry, and the manager with Chuba Hubbard falls out of the playoffs as a result of the missed opportunity. Brooks is an interesting name to keep track of for next season — I’m holding for this week to see what the team does with his usage and cutting ties if we don’t see some serious growth.
Adam Thielen, WR | CAR
Thielen’s Injury Status for Week 13
Thielen played Sunday for the first time since late September, posting three catches for 57 yards in his return.
Thielen didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice, but Carolina listed his injury as “not injury-related/rest/hamstring.” He returned for a full practice on Thursday and a limited one on Friday as part of his maintenance plan, and did not carry an injury designation for Sunday’s game on the final report.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Thielen
Thielen missed over two months and returned last week — he was targeted on Carolina’s first play. He largely disappeared after that, but when the chips were in the middle of the table, he had a late fourth-down catch and drew a DPI in the end zone.
I think that’s what we can expect moving forward from the veteran receiver. We are looking at production that comes and goes, nothing that fantasy managers can count on. Jalen Coker projects to eat into an already limited role should he return to action, further pushing Thielen down my receiver rankings.
The Bucs allow the third-highest completion percentage to the slot this season, giving Coker or Thielen a path to low-end PPR value if you squint, but I’m largely targeting upside rather than hoping for a few valuable looks as a part of this bottom-five offense.
Jalen Coker, WR | CAR
Coker’s Injury Status for Week 13
Coker missed Week 12 with a quad injury and did not participate in practice all week ahead of Week 13. Unsurprisingly, Coker was formally ruled out on the final injury report.
Coker wasn’t listed on the Panthers’ early-week injury reports entering Week 12, suggesting he may have been hurt during Friday’s practice. End-of-the-week downgrades are never a positive sign and often indicate that a player will miss the upcoming game — which Coker did.
The undrafted rookie finished as the fantasy WR17 in Week 8 but has otherwise finished outside the top 40 wideouts each week. With Coker sidelined on Sunday, Xavier Legette and David Moore were Bryce Young’s top two wideouts, while a returning Adam Thielen played 61% of Carolina’s offensive snaps.
Coker’s Fantasy Outlook
Jalen Coker was a late addition to the injury report last week and ended up sitting out with a quad injury. He left the lineup the same week that Adam Thielen (hamstring) returned, thus muddying the situation for this rookie to produce if/when he is deemed healthy.
I think we’ve seen enough from the Holy Cross product to pencil him in as a part of the rebuild in Carolina, but there’s no need to hold onto him in redraft formats for the stretch run.
Xavier Legette, WR | CAR
Legette’s Injury Status for Week 13
Legette is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Legette
Did you know that Xavier Legette and David Moore have the same on-field target share this season?
My guess is no, and yet, one has been kicking around fantasy rosters while the other, before last week, you may not have known what team he was on. The rookie has some splash-play ability (a 34-yard catch on the first drive last week and four straight games with a reception of 23+ yards), but he’s not earning opportunities at nearly a high enough level to overcome the below-average QB play that Carolina runs out there.
I maintain my thought that this Panthers offense will be one that I’m looking at in the later stages of drafts this summer, but that’s a long-term thought that we will discuss at a later date. For right now, Legette doesn’t deserve lineup consideration (his next 70-yard game will be his first).
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE | CAR
Sanders’ Injury Status for Week 13
Sanders was involved in a frightening scene on Sunday when he landed on his head after hauling in a 10-yard pass in the second quarter. Sanders was carted off the field on a backboard and transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
Fortunately, Sanders was discharged from the hospital and had movement in his extremities.
“Scary moment. Right now, it appears we avoided a pretty bad injury based on the nature of the play,” Canales said Monday.
“It is a neck injury. He’s here; he’s in the building. He’s getting worked on. We’re still evaluating. We’re gonna have to take that all the way to Wednesday to see what his availability might be for this week.”
Sanders didn’t practice this week and was formally declared out on the final injury report.
Sanders’ Fantasy Outlook
Sanders suffered a scary-looking head/neck injury in the first half of last week’s loss to the Chiefs, which landed him in the hospital following the game.
Hopefully, everything checks out health-wise, as there have been flashes of difference-making talent in this profile. However, there’s no reason for the Panthers to be aggressive with him, and that has me looking in other directions at the position.
If Sanders can return to a full workload, we can circle back, but there’s no reason to take on this level of risk. The future is bright for him and maybe this offense as a whole — don’t forget about his name this summer.