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Game day update: Life does not get any easier for the Buccaneers’ defense as they have to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ high-powered offense. Tampa Bay DBs Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean’s job will be to keep up and stay in front of Kansas City’s speedy wide receivers on Sunday. Tyreek Hill will command a lot of attention as he’s been a top-10 fantasy play at WR this season. He along with Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman will be going up against a Tampa defense that is only giving up 9.3 yards per completion this season. The Bucs’ defense is also allowing 21.8 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, which is not bad. ESPN projects Hill to score 13.0 fantasy points, while Watkins and Hardman to score 7.1 and 4.8 points.
The Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers face off against a tough Tampa Bay defense this week. However, don’t let the matchup scare you away; they can still produce good fantasy football lines. And they welcome back a key contributor with Sammy Watkins finally coming off the injury report.
Fantasy Football analysis: Chiefs WRs Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman
Hill is on fire lately. Last week against the Raiders, he had 102 receiving yards on 11 catches, and he scored his 10th touchdown of the season. That was the second week in a row he topped the 100-yard mark. The game before that he was only two yards shy of the triple-digit mark. He’s now scored in eight out of 10 games too.
Watkins has been sidelined since injuring his hamstring in Week 5. He added a calf injury as well, but finally will be active. He opened the season with seven catches for 82 yards and a touchdown, but was inconsistent the next four weeks. He had a seven-catch, 62 yard game one week, and added a score another week, but will look to get on track in his return.
Hardman was the No. 2 receiver with Sammy Watkins out, but he didn’t have much to do. He was targeted just once, catching it for 16 yards. With Hill balling out and all-world tight end Travis Kelce gobbling up targets too, there’s just not a lot for him to do.
The Buccaneers are a tough matchup, but they’re not unbeatable—Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp of the Rams combined for 275 yards and a touchdown last week.
Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation
Start Tyreek Hill as a WR1. Start Watkins as a flex in deeper leagues. Sit Mecole Hardman.