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Who should I start if Julio Jones is out for Week 3?

Who should you start if Buccaneers WR is ruled out in Week 3?

Julio Jones #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks on during the national anthem against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Arlington, TX Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

In a highly anticipated Week 3 matchup, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to take on the Green Bay Packers. Despite the game being in Florida, it is a primetime game and will kickoff at 4:25 p.m. ET. Quarterback Tom Brady is going to have to look down the depth chart for this game to try and find some reliable pass-catchers.

Starting wide receiver, Mike Evans, has been suspended for this game from the interaction he was involved with against the New Orleans Saints last week. Chris Godwin is still nursing a hamstring injury and won’t play. Julio Jones is dealing with a knee injury that saw him miss last week and is questionable for this week’s game. If the veteran wideout isn’t able to suit up, you need to have another option.

Who should I start in place of Julio Jones

If you are looking at a player that will fill-in for Jones after the inactives come out, you don't have to go further than his teammates Russell Gage and Breshad Perriman. Both of them have upside with the amount of top wide receivers that will be missing for Brady. Last week, Perriman caught three of his five targets for 45 yards and a touchdown. Gage was targeted six times and caught five of them for 28 yards. While the yardage wasn’t extensive, the target share is promising. Another receiver in the late games who could fill in is Cardinals WR Greg Dortch. With Rondale Moore out, he’s seen good production.

If you want to pivot away from wide receiver entirely in the flex spot, there are some solid running backs you can fill in. Rashaad Penny from the Seattle Seahawks, Tony Pollard on the Dallas Cowboys or Jeff Wilson Jr on the San Francisco 49ers.