Fantasy Five: Fantasy Football Picks for the Buccaneers and Seahawks, Week 9
By Leo Howell
Oct 28, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) signs autographs for fans after the game against the St. Louis Rams at Edward Jones Dome. Seahawks defeated the Rams 14-9. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome back to another edition of the Fantasy Five, where we take a look at the five best fantasy football options for this weekend’s Buccaneers game.
The Bucs take on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, and they are prohibitive underdogs for the contest. That means Seattle will likely have the better fantasy options, but which ones are the best?
Here are my picks:
1. Seattle Defense and Special Teams
The Buccaneers have a rookie quarterback, rookie running back, and Tiquan Underwood as their second receiver as they head into Seattle to face the Seahawk defense and the 12th man.
Uh oh.
Seattle has an opportunistic and strong defense which should force a turnover or two. If they return one to the house, that’s huge for your fantasy team.
2. Russell Wilson
The Buccaneers are still a bit more stingy against the run than they are the pass, which is why Wilson gets the nod over Marshawn Lynch.
Wilson is efficient and smart, and makes plays with his arm and legs. The Buccaneers struggled to contain a quarterback who does those some things (albeit in a different manner) in Cam Newton, so expect a repeat performance. One of Wilson’s best qualities for fantasy football is that he does a lot with fewer opportunities, as his team runs the football more than most other NFL franchises.
3. Marshawn Lynch
The man who will be doing most of the running for the Seahawks is Lynch, who was likely one of your first picks this season during your fantasy draft. You were going to start him anyways, but understand he has a slightly tougher task this week.
He’s been banged up, and is facing a pretty stout run defense led by Lavonte David. So while you should still use him if he’s active on Sunday, you shouldn’t expect a dominant performance.
4. Mike James
On the other side of the ball is Mike James, who will be the primary ballcarrier against a defense with just allowed another late-round rookie to have a breakout performance. Zac Stacy’s tough running against the Seattle defense in Week 8 should be an encouraging sign for James.
The problem for the Miami product is that he’s likely not going to get many carries if the game gets out of hand.
5. Golden Tate
You either love him or you hate him, but the showboating receiver for the Seahawks is the primary option for an offense led by a talented quarterback.
And with Darrelle Revis not fully back to Darrelle Revis status, you can safely use number one receivers against Tampa Bay until Revis is back to 100%.