Jameis Winston Suspended: Fantasy Impact

It was reported that Jameis Winston will be suspended 3 games this season due to an incident with an Uber driver in 2016. Not only is this devastating news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who start their season with a difficult schedule, but it also puts into doubt Winston’s potential to break out as a top quarterback like he’s been expected to after being a #1 NFL draft pick. Considering that the Bucs have an early bye (week 5), Winston won’t start to play a meaningful stretch of games until week 6, by which time all other QBs will be well into their rhythm for the season. At this point, Winston should only be drafted in fantasy as a backup quarterback, at best.

This suspension also affects all the players in the Bucs offense. As mentioned before, these 3 games come against difficult opponents, with 2 of those opponents having top 5 defenses in terms of yards allowed (Eagles and Steelers). Their other opponent is no slouch either, as the Saints defense had the third most interceptions in the league in 2017. Even with Winston on the field this would be a tough fantasy stretch for the Bucs players, and without it should be even worse. Mike Evans and O.J. Howard, among other pass catchers in the Bucs offense, should be taken in drafts with the expectation that they may have a slow start to the season.

One player that may see a bump in their fantasy production from Winston’s suspension is Ronald Jones II, who should see more carries in the backfield during this 3 game stretch. Don’t be surprised if Jones, aka "Mr. Opportunity", starts off his career strong like Kareem Hunt did last year.