3 bold predictions for Week 15’s matchup against the Lions

Find out why Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones could have a big day Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

The Buccaneers have a chance to make it four-straight wins Sunday with a victory over the Lions, which would pull their record back to .500.

Tampa Bay will be without wide receiver Mike Evans, who will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in last Sunday’s win over the Colts.

Detroit may seem like an easy opponent to roll through, considering they’ve lost six-straight games and are starting an undrafted rookie quarterback in David Blough. But playing at home and in desperate need of a win, the Lions could turn out to be a more dangerous opponent than the Bucs anticipated.

With that, here are three bold predictions for Sunday’s game.

Defense bounces back

The Bucs gave up 35 points in Week 14 to the Colts after surrendering a combined 33 points the previous two weeks. Granted, seven of those points last week came courtesy of a Jameis Winston pick-six, but the defense didn’t look as solid as they did in Week 13’s game against the Jaguars. I think the inexperience of Blough is going to make things easier for defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. I expect the secondary to get a couple of picks and for Shaq Barrett to break the franchise’s single-season sack mark. He needs just 1.5 sacks to do so. Ultimately, I think the defense holds the Lions under 20 points.

Winston throws five touchdowns

Winston has had one career game where he’s thrown for five touchdowns, and that was all the way back in Week 11 of his rookie year in 2015. Detroit’s defense is tied for the fewest interceptions in the league, which is great news for the turnover-prone Winston. Even without Evans, I think Winston will come out firing, looking to build off his big game from last week. I wish I could predict no turnovers for the Bucs quarterback, too, but I think we all see at least one pick in his (immediate) future.

Ronald Jones has 100 receiving yards

We’ve all been waiting for Jones to have his first career 100-yard rushing game, fantasy owners especially. If he’s not going to do that, why not predict a 100-yard receiving game then? With Evans out the Bucs may look to use Jones as a receiver more out of the backfield. It’s not hard to envision him breaking off a few big runs on a screen pass. Plus, Jones did have eight catches for 77 yards back in Week 10’s win over the Cardinals. 100 seems more than attainable.

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Bruce Arians on benching Ronald Jones: ‘You can’t run the football if you can’t protect the quarterback’

See why head coach Bruce Arians made the decision to bench starting running back Ronald Jones in the second half against the Jaguars.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned an impressive 28-11 win Sunday on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, giving them their first winning streak of the season.

The story of the day, of course, was the play of rookie linebacker Devin White, who helped the team jump out to an early 15-0 lead in the first quarter. But, one story that shouldn’t be overlooked is the second-half benching of running back Ronald Jones.

Jones, the second-year back out of USC who just last month earned the starting gig, was sent to the bench in the third quarter after failing to pick up a blitz, which resulted in a Jameis Winston sack and fumble.

Jones finished the day with just six carries for 8 yards. But, for those worried that Jones will be riding the bench going forward, head coach Bruce Arians talked about the young back’s strong work ethic, while also pointing out that if he wants to play, he’s got to protect the quarterback.

“[Jones] works his ass off. He’s gonna get better at it. We need him running the football. But you can’t run the football if you can’t protect the quarterback.”

Protection for Winston has been a problem all season long for the Buccaneers. Jones is still young, so hopefully he can use yesterday as a learning experience. If he works as hard as his coach says, I doubt anyone is more frustrated about what happened than Jones.

Tampa Bay returns home in Week 14 to face the Indianapolis Colts. With a win, the Bucs would not only make it three-straight victories, but they’d earn their sixth win of the season, surpassing their win totals from 2017 and 2018, when they finished 5-11 both times.

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Fantasy football: 5 sleepers to start, 5 starters to sit in Week 13

Fantasy football Week 13 starts, sits, sleepers.

It’s crunch time in fantasy football.

A little scouting and you can avoid a crucial late-season loss or do just enough to cross the finish line with a win this week. We’ve got you covered with a quick scouting report to help you out.

Here are five sleepers to start and five starters you’ve got to sit in fantasy football Week 13:

Starts

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones. Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

QB Nick Foles

Since returning to the starting lineup, Nick Foles hasn’t won. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been productive. He’s completing 68 percent of his passes this season and has two scores and a pick in two games since returning, including a 296-yard outing. In Week 13, he’s facing the Buccaneers, the second-worst pass defense in the NFL, who’ve also allowed 26 passing scores. Because of their poor secondary, the Bucs have gotten into some shootouts this year, too. Bodes well for Foles and his decent weapons he has to work with.

RB Ronald Jones

Speaking of the Jaguars, you might want to go with Ronald Jones instead of a guy like Jameis Winston in this matchup. Jones is fresh off a productive 4.3 yards per carry (51 yards) and touchdown outing against the Falcons last week, who’ve had their fair share of defensive struggles this year. In the Jags, Jones is facing the No. 29 overall run defense, which also allows a league-worst 5.4 yards per carry and has surrendered 15 rushing scores.

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