The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ backfield will have a different look in Week 9.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 9: Antone Smith an intriguing play vs. Falcons
Will Antone Smith be the Bucs’ top running back vs. the Falcons?
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With Doug Marin (hamstring) and Jacquizz Rodgers (foot) already ruled out for this game, Antone Smith looks poised to be the lead running back, according to ESPN reporter Jenna Laine.
Smith is likely to split carries with undrafted free agent Peyton Barber on Thursday when Tampa Bay hosts the Atlanta Falcons. Smith is now in his seventh NFL season and has experience with Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter from their days in Atlanta, where Koetter was the offense coordinator during Smith’s brief stay there.
Even so, it is very hard to project which back gets the most work on Thursday, but whoever does should be in for a good game versus a bad Falcons defense.
Fantasy Impact: Yahoo! ranks Smith as the 24th-best running back for Week 9, 10 spots ahead of Barber at 34. They face an Atlanta defense allowing the 10th-most fantasy points to running backs this season.
Regardless, there is too much uncertainty here to play Smith, or any Bucs running back for that matter, in your fantasy league this week. Keep Smith on the bench.
