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The Buccaneers aren’t very good, but their young quarterback doesn’t care.
Rookie signal callers Mike Glennon is really beginning to grow on me. He’s been playing well for Tampa during their two-game winning streak. Could the big-headed Glennon help make it three?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24 @ Detroit Lions, 21
Buccaneers
Glennon is trying to convince Tampa Bay to pass on a quarterback in this year’s draft and stick with him. Another incredibly efficient game for the rookie on Sunday, as he completed 14-of-21 passes for 247 yards and two scores. It was Glennon’s second consecutive two-touchdown game, and he continues to prove that he is trustworthy in a good matchup. If you are stuck with an underperforming signal caller like Robert Griffin III, Glennon may be the better option for the rest of the season. No, I am not kidding. Meanwhile, both of his touchdowns went to, not Vincent Jackson, but Tiquan Underwood, who was featured in my Under The Radar Starts column this week. Underwood finished with just three catches for 108 yards and two scores, including an impressive 85-yard catch and run. Coming into this contest, opposing number two wideouts have decimated the Lions secondary. Jackson made the big catches, but had just two of those plays for 61 yards.
The running game was a polar opposite compared to Week 11. Free agent star, Bobby Rainey struggled to get going against a good Detroit run defense, totaling just 35 yards on the ground. The encouraging aspect, however, is the fact that he dominated the carries, seeing 18 compared to Brian Leonard’s one. Be patient with Rainey. He has talent, the backfield is his, and he has Buffalo on his schedule after a tough Week 13 matchup against the Panthers.
Lions
Was this a signature Matthew Stafford game or what? As usual, Stafford saw high volume, passing the football 46 times for 297 yards and three touchdowns, but he also completed four passes to the other team. Still, he’s an awesome fantasy quarterback in one of the league’s pass-heaviest offenses. Meanwhile, there was some discussion about the benching of Reggie Bush last week, where backup Joique Bell stole some work. Then, Bell was banged up, and questionable for Week 12. Bell played, but wasn’t much of a factor, seeing just six carries compared to Bush’s 15. Bush also hauled in four passes, as he continues his strong season. Of course, hopefully you have Bush handcuffed with Bell.
As for the receiving game, a lot of hype surrounded the matchup between the games’ best receiver in Calvin Johnson and arguably the game’s best corner in Darrelle Revis. No one can cover Calvin, but Revis didn’t get an entire chance to, as he exited the game early. Calvin had a quiet game (for his standards), catching seven balls for 115 yards and zero touchdowns. It was the pizza guy, Nate Burleson, however, to make the biggest fantasy splash. Many were high on Burleson in his return, including me. Coming into this game, opposing number two receivers were thriving against the Bucs. Over their last five games, Tampa has allowed Harry Douglas (twice), Rishard Matthews, Doug Baldwin and Brandon LaFell to combine for a stellar 95 fantasy points. Burleson easily put them over 100 over their last six, as he caught seven balls for 77 yards and a touchdown. An underrated PPR commodity, Burleson has at least six catches in every game he’s played. Pick him up if you need a wideout.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
