How to watch, what to watch for Bucs vs. Falcons in Week 15

The 8-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to keep the momentum rolling after snapping a two-game skid on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings when they head on the road to play the 4-9 Atlanta Falcons, which are coming off back-to-back losses.

Tampa Bay didn’t exactly light the world on fire in its last time out and was actually outgained by Minnesota 335-303 despite coming out on top 26-14 at home. The Buccaneers benefited from a disaster of a kicking game from Dan Bailey, who missed three field goals and an extra point. Tom Brady threw for less than 200 yards for the second time this season, though he finished with zero turnovers after throwing two interceptions in back-to-back games.

It’s been a tough go of it for the Falcons in 2020, as head coach Dan Quinn was fired earlier in the season with Raheem Morris taking control over the last two months as the interim coach. After blowing out Las Vegas three weeks ago, Atlanta fell to the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in a 20-17 road loss on a last-second field goal. Matt Ryan threw three interceptions, and the Falcons did not have a single player rush for more than 3.8 yards per carry.

TV Info

Date: Sunday, Dec. 20
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX
Broadcast map

Notable Statistical rankings (Football Outsiders)

Bucs: #2 Overall — #5 offense, #5 defense, #24 special teams
Falcons: #19 Overall — #22 offense, #14 defense, #25 special teams

DraftKings Sportsbook odds

Bucs: -5.5, -278
Falcons: +5.5, +220
Total: 50.5

Fantasy football start/sit advice

Bucs

Ronald Jones II, RB, $6,000

Ronald Jones had a solid game against Minnesota and saw a high volume of carries with Leonard Fournette as a healthy scratch. His 18 rushes were the second-highest since Oct. 18, and he went for 4.4 yards per carry with 80 yards and added a touchdown. Earlier in the week, head coach Bruce Arians said Jones may have fractured his pinky, though it’s still likely he will be able to go on Sunday.

Chris Godwin, WR, $6,200

Chris Godwin had his worst performance of the season last week, catching just two of three targets for 25 yards. He had season slows in each category against the Vikings, and Tampa Bay put the ball in the air just 23 times in this game, so much better days are ahead for Godwin, especially against a Falcons defense that is among the worst against the pass this season.

Falcons

Todd Gurley, RB, $4,700

Todd Gurley had another uninspiring performance in Sunday’s game against the Chargers with six carries for 19 yards. He hasn’t reached more than 3.3 yards per carry since Oct. 11 in his lone 100-yard game of the season. Gurley was not on the injury report heading into this game, but it seems clear Atlanta is limiting the number of touches he is getting. He carried the ball eight or fewer times in each of his last three games.

Matt Ryan, QB, $5,400

Matt Ryan has thrown multiple interceptions in two of his last four games, topping out at three against the Chargers. While the Falcons continue to pass the ball a lot, we aren’t seeing the big numbers we saw from Ryan earlier in the season, as he hasn’t thrown for 300 yards six games in a row. Check the injury reports throughout the week because it’s possible Julio Jones may return to the Falcons lineup.