After Jameis Winston posted one of the best rookie quarterback seasons in NFL history last year, plenty of fantasy owners opted to draft Winston this summer. That decision has largely paid off. In deeper leagues, Winston has starter potential every week, but he has at least been a solid player to have on your bench in case of emergency or a favorable matchup.
Currently owned in 75.3% of ESPN leagues, Winston has proved to be a good investment for those who picked him up. He is tied for the 14th-most fantasy points scored among NFL quarterbacks and has at least 18 fantasy points five times this season, including the last three in a row.
](http://www.buccaneers.com/news/article-1/6-Key-Matchups-for-Bucs-vs-Bears/69957185-7d5e-4098-a98c-e9d58329c42a)That is great news for those fantasy owners who have been relying on him recently, but also great news for those who have him on their bench and happen to have a starter with a Week 10 bye. This week, four of the top eight quarterbacks in fantasy points are sitting it out: Indy's Andrew Luck, Oakland's Derek Carr, Detroit's Matthew Stafford and Buffalo's Tyrod Taylor. Winston is an all-around solid fantasy play this week, going up against a Bears defense that is allowing 15.5 points per week to opposing quarterbacks (1.5 points fewer than Winston's points per game average). They have allowed three QBs to post 20+-point fantasy games this year.
Buccaneers Fantasy Starters
It goes without saying at this point that Mike Evans is a must-start week-in and week-out. He is currently the second highest scoring fantasy wide receiver in standard leagues, just one point behind Julio Jones. In two of his last three games, Evans has found the end zone twice. He has at least one score in six of his eight games this season.
The Chicago Bears are allowing just 238 passing yards per game to their opponents, the 12th fewest in the NFL, but in fantasy, their defense is a different story as they are allowing the second-highest amount of fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Of the 11 receiving touchdowns the Bears have surrendered this year, nine of them have been to WRs. Of their 1,905 passing yards allowed, 1,560 (81.9%) have been to WRs as well, the highest yardage total and second-highest percentage in the league.
Another piece of Buccaneers news is making fantasy football waves this week, with RB Doug Martin returning to practice. He is listed as questionable and that designation is worth keeping an eye on. If he is a good, he would still be tough to start, not knowing exactly how much of the workload he would shoulder in his first game back since exiting in Week Two. The Bears are also allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs so far this season, 4.6 points fewer than the league average. The Bears defense has allowed games of 8, 8, 11, 0 and 8 points to RBs over their last five games.
While he is still a not exactly a household name and doesn't yet show the fantasy-point consistency that you'd like from the position, it is worth ending this segment with a mention of TE Cameron Brate, who is now the 12th-highest scoring tight end in fantasy football. He has a touchdown in each of his last two games and actually is tied for the league lead in tight end receiving touchdowns this season, with four.
Bears Fantasy Starters
With the Buccaneers defense allowing the fourth-most points to opposing quarterbacks, Jay Cutler could be another popular option to fill in for bye-week QBs. He had 14 fantasy points last week in his first week back in action. The Buccaneers are allowing an average of 19.6 points per game to QBs. After a four-game stretch where they allowed 16 fantasy points or fewer to QBs, the Buccaneers have given up performances of 35 and 27 points in the last two weeks. Cutler is a risky option as he has been unreliable in the past, but the potential for a big game is there.
His top target is WR Alshon Jeffery, who has struggled to get things going from a fantasy perspective. He has just one touchdown so far this season, which came from Cutler in their last game. The Buccaneers allow the second-most points to opposing receivers, so Jeffery should be in your lineup this week. Fellow WRs Cameron Meredith and Eddie Royal (questionable) are other sleeper options at the position. TE Zach Miller has the seventh-most fantasy points of any tight end this season. If he has been your guy so far, there is no reason to pull him out in this one.
Rounding out the Bears with some big-game potential is their rookie running back, Jordan Howard. He had 26 carries for 153 yards and a score against the Minnesota Vikings in the Bears' last game and seems to have solidified himself as Chicago's true number-one back. Receiving a significant workload each week should vault Howard into fantasy starter status each week, and the Bucs matchup is no exception.
