1. QB Jameis Winston
There's no sure-fire way to know how long a player will stay in the game, but all indications are that Winston will take the field for at least one drive after halftime. That would be the longest he's played in a preseason game so far. Winston had a strong performance against the Bengals in the Bucs' second preseason game, one that Head Coach Lovie Smith called "outstanding." In a press conference earlier this week, Winston said his footwork has improved drastically since he arrived in Tampa. It will be interesting to see how he puts everything together in what could be his last significant game time before the start of the regular season.
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2. DE George Johnson
The Bucs recorded one sack in their preseason opener, but four in their Week 2 matchup with Cincinnati. Of those four, one and a half were credited to Johnson. In addition to his strong performance in last week's game, Johnson was one of the most impressive Bucs in training camp.
3. CB Isaiah Frey
With Leonard Johnson sidelined with an ankle injury, Frey will get his share of snaps as the Bucs' slot corner. "That's what we're going to end up having to do," Coach Smith said. "We had him at corner for this last ball game and we wanted to take a look at him there, but with Leonard being down we have to move him back to nickel. He will get his reps at nickel this ball game." Frey, Johnson and Sterling Moore have been a part of a three-way battle for the No. 3 corner spot throughout camp.
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4. WR Louis Murpy
In addition to Leonard Johnson, there are two other Buccaneers who coach Smith has ruled out for the game – wide receivers Mike Evans and Kenny Bell. With Evans and Bell on the sideline, Murphy, who has been working as the team's third receiver, could start beside Vincent Jackson. Since returning from an ankle injury that held him out for the first half of training camp, Murphy has looked promising.
5. LB Danny Lansanah
Lansanah is used to adversity; he's played on five different NFL teams, two United Football League teams and was out of football for a period of time. He rebounded to become a starter for the Bucs last season and finished No. 2 on the team in tackles. He has another roadblock to overcome in order to remain a starter – holding off veteran Bruce Carter, who was moved to Lansanah's position after Kwon Alexander was named the starting middle linebacker. Lansanah was impressive against Cincinnati, recording three tackles, two quarterback hits and a safety.
