Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles said after Sunday's loss to the Steelers that TE Cameron Brate has a neck injury. He made no mention of a concussion, so it sounds like Brate at least escaped that. We should learn more about his status on Monday. Rookie Cade Otton will be in the low-end TE1 mix if Brate misses time.
Bucs TE Cameron Brate was carted off the field in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Steelers. He missed last week's game in the concussion protocol. The Bucs say that Brate has movement in all his extremities, but he's obviously been ruled out for the rest of this one. We'll keep you updated on his situation.
Bucs TE Cameron Brate (concussion) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final Week 6 injury report. He’ll be back for Sunday’s game vs. the Steelers. We’ll see how routes and targets are divvied between Brate and TE Cade Otton, but neither guy is a bankable Week 6 fantasy play.
Bucs beat writer Greg Auman believes rookie TE Cade Otton “will continue to have a decent/growing role” in the offense — even when Cameron Brate is healthy. Brate is seemingly on track to face Pittsburgh following a Week 4 concussion. While boosted by 52 Tom Brady passes, Otton did well to snag 6 of 7 targets last week vs. Atlanta. We’ll closely monitor how the Bucs divvy up TE snaps in Week 6.
Bucs TE Cameron Brate (concussion) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. That puts him on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Steelers. We're curious to see if TE Cade Otton won the lead job with his Week 5 performance, but you'll need to avoid Bucs TEs in Week 6 fantasy lineups as we wait to find out.
Bucs TE Cameron Brate (concussion) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Falcons. That leaves Cade Otton as Tampa's likely lead TE. The rookie ran 32 pass routes in last week's loss to the Chiefs, hauling in 3 of 4 targets for 29 yards. You should be able to do better than Otton in season-long leagues, but he's an intriguing flier in DFS.
Buccaneers QB Tom Brady sat out of Wednesday's practice with injuries to his right shoulder and a finger on his right hand. The finger injury carried over from the previous week and isn't likely to be an issue. We'll keep an eye on the shoulder. TE Cameron Rate (concussion) also missed practice Wednesday. We'd bet on him not playing in Week 5.
Buccaneers TE Cameron Brate left Sunday night's game against the Chiefs with a concussion. We'll see about his progress through the league protocol. Cade Otton and Ko Kieft entered Week 4 as the next 2 TEs in playing time behind Brate.
Bucs TE Kyle Rudolph is a healthy scratch for tonight's game vs. the Cowboys. TEs Cameron Brate, Cade Otton and Ko Kieft are active.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles said Wednesday that he expects the team's TE production without Rob Gronkowski to be made up with the WRs and RBs. In other words, the answer to which Bucs TE to target in fantasy football is probably none of them. Tampa has a deep WR corps with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage and Julio Jones -- plus a couple of quality pass-catching RBs in Leonard Fournette and Rachaad White. All of those guys could play significant roles in the passing game at different points of this season.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles complimented the play of TE Cade Otton. “Cade’s a very cerebral player. You won’t see all the speed and power, but you look up and he’s always doing the right things, always in the right place. He has great hands and he understands how to play the game,” Bowles said. “I think a lot of young players don’t have that. He has that coming in, so that’s going to benefit him going forward.” Bowles noted that Otten needs to improve his play strength — standard language for a rookie. The 4th-round pick figures to see limited action alongside Kyle Rudolph and Cameron Brate, but he’s a name to monitor in dynasty circles.
The Buccaneers have agreed to a 1-year deal with TE Kyle Rudolph, according to multiple reports. The veteran managed just 26 catches for 257 yards and 1 TD across 16 games in his lone season with the Giants after Minnesota released him following the 2020 season. It marked the 3rd straight year in which Rudolph's receptions per game declined. Obviously not a threat for big numbers in a season that will find him turning 33 in November, Rudolph still clouds the TE target picture for an offense that (at least for now) must go without Rob Gronkowski. We weren't excited about Cameron Brate or Cade Otton in any format before this signing, which certainly doesn't help either player.
Speculating on the team's replacement plan in the wake of TE Rob Gronkowski's (2nd) retirement, Scott Smith of the team website highlights the potential of 4th-round rookie Cade Otton. Smith says "there is the potential for him to be the one tight end the Buccaneers keep on the field most often," with receiving skills that "many draft analysts" believe exceed his college usage and the fact that he's "already considered an above-average and very willing blocker." Smith goes on to say that there might not be a "single clear answer" and that the Bucs could just blend Otton, fellow rookie Ko Kieft, vet Cameron Brate and perhaps 1 more player. Otton is primarily a name to know for dynasty usage, but this also serves as a reminder to temper fantasy expectations for Brate. He's likely the team's best receiving bet at the position with Gronk gone. But Brate has also played less than 40% of Tampa Bay snaps in 3 straight years. Just 2 of those included Gronkowski, and he missed 5 games in 2021.
TE Rob Gronkowski tells NFL insider Jordan Schultz that he's retiring. It's only June, of course, so there's plenty of time for Gronk to change his mind. In fact, he "retired" back in 2019 before eventually returning with QB Tom Brady and the Bucs in 2020. So we're not completely ruling out another season from Gronkowski. But he'd be tough to draft as more than a last-pick flier right now. Losing Gronk would be a big blow to a Bucs offense that lost WR Antonio Brown and has WR Chris Godwin iffy for the start of the season after tearing his ACL in December. TEs Cameron Brate and rookie Cade Otton are next up on Tampa's depth chart.
Update: Gronkowski confirmed his retirement on his Instagram. But his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, isn't totally buying it. “It would not surprise me if Tom Brady calls him during the season to come back and Rob answers the call," Rosenhaus told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "This is just my opinion but I wouldn’t be surprised if Rob comes back during the season or next season.”
Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski (back) is out for Sunday's game vs. Washington. HC Bruce Arians said earlier this week that Gronk is 2-3 weeks away from being back to 100%. TEs Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard have basically been splitting work with Gronkowski out, leaving them both as just TE2s.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski is "considered a game-time decision" for today's game against the Saints. "One source described optimism" for Gronk's chances of playing, Rapoport adds.
Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski (ribs) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Bears. HC Bruce Arians has been saying that Gronk is close to returning for 2 weeks now, but don't be surprised if he also misses Week 8. The Bucs have a Week 9 bye. With Gronkowski out the past 3 weeks, TEs O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate have both totaled 11 targets. Howard out-targeted Brate 7 to 4 last week, though, and is the superior Week 7 fantasy play.
Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski (ribs) remained sidelined for Thursday's practice. He seems unlikely to return for this weekend's game vs. the Bears. TE O.J. Howard (ankle) returned to a limited practice on Thursday and figures to split pass-catching duties with TE Cameron Brate again on Sunday.
This is an insider feature of Draft Sharks, please upgrade to be an Insider Member
Upgrade to Insider Member
All transactions are secure and encrypted, and we never store your credit card information.