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O.J. Howard ruled out, fire up Cameron Brate — sort of

Bucs tight end O.J. Howard will not play in Week 9. We break down the fantasy football implications for Cameron Brate.

Cameron Brate of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stands at the line of scrimmage during the 1st quarter of the NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9, and tight end O.J. Howard has been formally ruled out for the game. Howard missed last week with a hamstring injury that saw him downgraded from Wednesday limited to Thursday DNP. He did not practice at all this week.

Cameron Brate will get a second straight start in place of Howard, assuming Brate gets healthy in his own right. Brate suffered a rib injury last week. He was a DNP on Wednesday and limited on Thursday. He had three receptions for 32 yards against the Titans.

Fantasy football analysis: Bucs TE Cameron Brate

The Seahawks have given up the fourth most points to tight ends this season, so this matchup offers some potential value. Brate was not overly impressive last week against a Titans defense that is middle of the road against tight ends. The rib injury is concerning and likely means we need to downgrade Brate. The tight end position is brutal for depth, so he’s still worth a start if he is active, but keep expectations low.