1. DE William Gholston
Through the first four games of the season, Gholston has been a pleasant surprise for the Bucs' defense. He's been one of the Bucs' best run-stoppers and leads the team in quarterback hits with nine. He has nearly twice as many hurries as Gerald McCoy, who's second on the team. Gholston will start at defensive end on Sunday. "I feel bad for any tight end that has to face Will in run blocking," McCoy said. "Will is 6-7, 280-90 pound super-athlete. Good luck. I'm glad he's next to me and I'm not a tight end, because he's just punishing people. It's fun to watch. I feel bad for the guys, like, 'Dang, you just got to take that beating all day?' Whatever, good luck to you, have a good day."
2. RB Doug Martin
Martin hopes to pick up his second 100-yard rushing game of the season when the Bucs meet the Jaguars, but it won't be an easy task. Jacksonville boasts the league's fourth-best run defense, giving up an average of 83 rushing yards per game. The Jags haven't allowed a single runner to pick up more than 78 yards in a game and in Week 2, the team held each Dolphins ball carrier under 18 yards; quarterback Ryan Tannehill led the team in rushing with 17 yards.
3. G Ali Marpet
If Martin is successful on Sunday, it will likely mean that Marpet, and the Bucs' offensive line, played at a high level, too. Earlier in the week, Head Coach Lovie Smith spoke highly of his rookie right guard, saying that he believed Marpet was ahead of schedule in terms of his progression. "They're obviously great against the run," Marpet said of the Jaguars, "but we want to prove that wrong. We want to be able to run the ball on anyone. We believe that we can, as an offensive line."
4. CB Mike Jenkins
With Johnthan Banks sidelined last week against Carolina, Jenkins stepped into the starting the lineup and led the Bucs in passes defensed. Jenkins was on the field for 53 snaps, 90% of the Bucs' total defensive plays, and also played eight of 24 snaps on special teams. The Bucs have two interceptions on the season so far. Keep an eye on Jenkins to potentially pick up a third against Jacksonville.
5. DE Jacquies Smith
Smith is still very much in the hunt to be the NFL's sack leader. Through three games, he led the league in sacks but last week, Denver's DeMarcus Ware surpassed him by a half-sack. Smith is currently tied with Houston's J.J. Watt and Detroit's Ezekiel Ansah with four sacks while Ware has 4.5. According to Pro Football Focus, the Jaguars are the league's fifth-worst pass-blocking team. Look for Smith to add to his sack total and potentially re-claim the league's top spot.
Photos of the Jaguars' projected starters from team's depth chart.
