Buccaneers vs. 49ers Inactives: Lavonte David not playing

The inactives for the Buccaneers and 49ers were released. Tampa Bay will be without three starters on the defensive side of the ball.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers released their official inactives for Sunday’s game. The Bucs will be without three starters on defense.

Tampa Bay will miss star linebacker Lavonte David, who has a knee injury. David is far and away the best Bucs linebacker and is a consistent contributor against the run. With Matt Breida in line to carry the 49ers offense, the Bucs will miss. David’s presence

In the secondary, M.J. Stewart and Justin Evans will be out of the lineup for the second straight week. With the significant struggles the Tampa Bay secondary has faced, it may be another long day for the unit, even though a third-string quarterback will start for San Francisco.

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Stewart’s rookie season won’t be one to remember. His inability to stay with his matchup on the field was apparent. He was beaten far too often in the slot and will need to put in a ton work this offseason to be seen as a viable option in 2019.

Now throw in his injury, he will need to start fresh next year.

Third-string quarterback Ryan Griffin also continues to be on the inactives list. Although the coaching staff continues to express their confidence in him, they haven’t given him a chance even to suit up this season.

It shouldn’t be a shock that he hasn’t been able to be the primary backup so far, but with the Bucs out of the playoff picture, the best chance for him to get some action in the regular season is around the corner.

Fitzpatrick’s time with Tampa Bay is likely over, so they may throw Griffin a bone and let him suit up as the season winds down.

Bucs inactives:

LB Lavonte David

CB M.J. Stewart

S Justin Evans

QB Ryan Griffin

CB Josh Shaw

RB Ronald Jones

S Godwin Igwebuike

DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches

49ers inactives:

LB Reuben Foster