The fantasy football playoffs are starting to take shape as we enter the final week of November. With your fantasy team vying for a playoff spot or ideal seeding when the field gets narrowed, every NFL game becomes important.
With some standout performances over the last few weeks, the Buccaneers vs. Colts matchup this Sunday should draw a lot more eyes than just Tampa Bay and Indianapolis fans.
Take a look at the players who could be in line for another big fantasy football outing this weekend.
THREE BUCS TO START
RB Doug Martin
Martin has rocketed to number five in the overall RB fantasy standings, coming off a 23-point week when he ran wild on the Philadelphia Eagles. That performance came against a team that had been allowing the eighth-fewest points to opposing running backs. This week, Martin will square off with the Colts' DEF, which allows the 10th-most RB points per game.
He has earned the lion's share of Buccaneers carries and should be in for another big day running behind a line that seems to be hitting on all cylinders. The Colts have allowed 24+ running back points in four of their last six games. Doug Martin has double-digit fantasy points in five of his last seven.
WR Mike Evans
No surprise here. Evans now sits at 124 fantasy points on the season. 94 of those points have come in the five weeks since the Bucs' bye. Only two wide receivers (Antonio Brown and Julio Jones) are averaging more points per game over the last five weeks than Evans.
In his last three games, Evans has performances of 21, 20 and 16 points, putting up a combined 20 catches for 339 yards. He'll go up against a defense allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to opposing WRs. Atlanta's top receiver, Julio Jones, had nine catches for 160 yards a week ago against the Colts.
QB Jameis Winston
After throwing five touchdowns last week, it is hard to call Jameis Winston a sleeper anymore. He is the 11th-highest scoring quarterback in the league this year. While his 29-pointer last week was impressive, what is even more remarkable from a fantasy football standpoint is that his lowest single-game score of the year is 12 points. With such a low floor, he has proven to be a QB you can count on each week to produce.
The Colts have allowed at least 15 points to opposing quarterbacks in nine of their 10 games this season and at least one passing touchdown in each game. Though the bye weeks are over, there are a number of QB injuries, or players not living up to their draft position. At 36.2% owned (up 11.2% in the last week) he is still someone widely available that could help you make a late playoff run.
THREE COLTS TO START
WR T.Y. Hilton
No Colts receiver has really stood out with Matt Hasselbeck under center. In Hasselbeck's first start against the Jaguars, his tight end scored the most fantasy points while Hilton and WR Donte Moncrief each put up 13. In Hasselbeck's second start, Hilton had 13 while Moncrief had just one point. WR Andre Johnson was the big winner with 25 points.
Long story short, it is hard to tell which receiver will have a big day, but the consistency of Hilton here, and his past as their top performing WR, gives him the best chances of a big day. The Buccaneers are allowing the 13th-most points to opposing wide receivers.
RB Frank Gore
Gore participated in practice fully and is the best bet to get most of the Colts' work in the running game. He has been a consistent back, if not a flashy one. He has at least 10 points in each of his last eight games, but has gone over 16 points just once in that time frame. Still, he is ranked 13th in RB fantasy points and should be started in all formats.
The Buccaneers defense has been stout against running backs, allowing just 19 RB points per game, more than two below the league average.
TE Coby Fleener
The tight end mentioned above was Fleener, who had 23 points against Jacksonville, in a Hasselbeck's first start of the season. He has managed just one other double-digit game this season, so he is a risky sleeper play this week. The confidence in him here is that he could act as Hasselbeck's main passing outlet when he is in trouble. The Buccaneers have allowed at least 12 points to opposing TEs in four of the last five weeks.
