This week, Jerry Jones said he was devastated to learn of the death of Marshawn Kneeland; in the wake of Aaron Rodgers’ stinker, Mike Tomlin is not concerned about his long-term ability to play QB at a high level; and OL Jaelan Phillips looked fantastic in his Eagles’ debut. Other Fantasy football stories we’re following include…

Take a Chance On Sean Tucker

Heading into the season, we expected the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to have a strong rush attack. After all, they finished fifth in rushing yards per game last season and had a lead back (Bucky Irving) with upside.

However, injuries have kept him off the field since late-September, and the TB ground attack has struggled as a result, ranking just 25th in YPG. It’s contributed greatly to an offense that has fallen from third in yardage last year to just 17th this season.

The Bucs have also done worse against the run, dropping from third last season to 11th this year. They have particularly struggled in giving up receiving yards to opposing backs.

Despite all this doom and gloom, Tampa Bay is on pace to top last season’s mark of 10 wins. Even having lost two of its last three, the Bucs remain on top of the NFC South with a 6-3 mark.

As the team searches for ways to overcome Irving’s absence, we’ve seen Sean Tucker’s role increase over the last couple of games. Tucker showed promise in his sophomore campaign last season, topping 300 yards on just 50 carries and scoring twice, while adding nine receptions for 109 yards and one TD in the air.

However, he had barely been employed over the first seven games this season, with just 11 total carries. Then Tucker got 12 totes in Week Eight, and while he wasn’t great (3.5 YPC with a fumble), he did manage a touchdown. Last week, he got another nine carries and this time piled up an impressive 53 yards, perhaps setting him up for a nice run as long as Irving remains out.

How notable was Tucker’s performance? Believe it or not, he’s the first RB to manage even 50 yards against the Patriots this season, so he deserves some waiver wire attention for Week 11. Let’s face it, Rachaad White is not getting it done for the Bucs, so Tucker should continue to get a chance to shine.

Consider Tucker a top 10 RB option off the wire this week and a top 40 option overall at the position. Coming out of Syracuse, he was projected to become an average backup, but with his ability to run through contact, he’s exceeding those expectations already.

Game of the Week

Another team that has a better record this season is the Los Angeles Rams. After posting back-to-back 10-win campaigns, they’ve already won seven times this season thanks to a current four-game streak that has allowed them to remain tied with Seattle on top of the NFC West. Of course, it’s much easier to see why this team has taken the next step considering how dramatically improved they are on both sides of the ball. Coach Sean McVay has his squad looking like the NFC’s top bet to win the Super Bowl.

And now the exciting part: these rivals meet in L.A. in Week 11 in a match-up that could easily decide the division. L.A. is currently favoured by three points as per FanDuel in what has to be considered the game of the week.

Heading into the season, we actually worried that the Rams might have too many mouths to feed in their passing game, but that hasn’t really been a problem, as their top two receivers (Puka Nacua and Davante Adams) are basically dead even in targets with a substantially drop off after them.

Still, tight end Davis Allen has been worked into the mix a bit more of late, hauling in multiple receptions in each of the last two games after managing to do so just once over the first seven contests. He also posted a TD for the first time since scoring in each of the season’s first two games.

It’s not exactly a breakout, but Allen has already set new career highs in catches, yards, targets and touchdowns. The former Clemson Tiger may only be a depth player, yet he has just six fewer receptions this season than the far more accomplished Tyler Higbee.

Davis is not yet a Fantasy relevant player, but this trend of him getting fed more is worth tracking.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

Dire Straits was successful right from the outside, scoring a top 10 hit from their 1978 eponymous debut on both sides of the Atlantic with “Sultans of Swing.” In 1980, they released their third album, Making Movies, and the third single from this effort was the epic “Romeo and Juliet.”

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