The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have caught a huge break in their Week 7 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Tight end Jimmy Graham did not travel with the team to Tampa and will not play in the game. Obviously this affects fantasy owners who own Graham, but the ramifications could extend to all your Saints’ players. Graham is second on the team with three touchdown receptions, and third in receiving yards. For a Bucs’ secondary which will be without cornerback Aqib Talib, life just got a lot easier. Drew Brees will now be left with only Marques Colston as his primary threat, so expect him to draw the focus of Greg Schiano’s defense. In other words, temper expectations for what could have been a big day for the Hofstra product against the Bucs’ 31st ranked secondary. It will be on the likes of Lance Moore and Devery Henderson to move the chains, and I doubt either player sparks excitement about their fantasy potential. The biggest player to benefit should be Darren Sproles, who becomes extremely important in the passing game. With the Buccaneers ranked third in the NFL against the run, Sproles should rack up the points in PPR leagues and deserves a bump in expectations for standard leagues. As for Brees, he’s found ways of doing it without his stars before, so don’t let the news affect your decision making. He’s a must-start no matter what the matchup, but without his top red-zone target, things might be a little tougher than expected.

-Adrian Mojica
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