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Salley, who began training camp as a starter at free safety, eventually relinquished the job to Deke Cooper because of constant knee problems.

Lamb caught six passes for 90 yards in the first half before falling hard on his injured shoulder, after which point he managed just two additional targets and one additional catch. His big first half still led to over 100 yards through the air even with the minimal work after the break, enough to return a usable fantasy score for managers banking on his production in the fantasy semi-finals. His status moving forward will require monitoring considering his limited usage in the second half ahead of a showdown with the Eagles in Week 17.

Dowdle struggled to find room against the vaunted Buccaneers run defense, notably bottled up by Vita Vea in the middle of the Tampa defensive line. It was the first game in the previous month of play in which Dowdle failed to surpass 100 yards on the ground. To make matters worse for Dowdle’s fantasy managers, Ezekiel Elliott vultured a touchdown from one yard out on his only touch of the game. Dowdle could find the sledding tough again in Week 17 when the Cowboys travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.

The Cowboys started the game with a short-area approach, peppering CeeDee Lamb and tight end Jake Ferguson with targets in the first quarter. They worked up a 10-0 lead before the start of the second, a lead they would not relinquish throughout. That allowed them to take a more conservative approach to the offensive game plan, continuing in a short-area focus while mixing in sporadic deep shots. Lamb came down with one of those deep shots but landed hard on his injured shoulder, which limited his snaps in the second half. Either way, Rush and the Cowboys escaped with a home victory for only the second time this season before traveling to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in Week 17.

Durham saw a spot start in the absence of Cade Otton, who missed Week 16 with a knee injury. Otton’s status moving forward remains unknown, meaning Durham could be called upon again when the Bucs host the Panthers in Week 17.

Palmer saw a bump to his snap and route participation rates with tight end Cade Otton sidelined and Sterling Shepard departing early with a hamstring injury, but was unable to capitalize on the additional opportunity. He finished fifth on the team in targets behind Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, Rachaad White, and Payne Durham, while McMillan and Ryan Miller caught the only two touchdowns thrown by quarterback Baker Mayfield. Palmer should continue in a more robust role when the Bucs host the Panthers in Week 17 considering the nature of Shepard’s injury.

McMillan cashed in on an increase to his opportunities with Mike Evans seeing blanket coverage and Sterling Shepard departing early with a hamstring injury. His fantasy day could have been much bigger had he come down with a deep touchdown in the fourth quarter, a pass that was ultimately wrestled away from his clutches while going to the ground in the end zone with seven minutes left to play and the team down by nine points. McMillan appears likely to remain a secondary focal point through the air considering the nature of Shepard’s injury when the Bucs host the Panthers in week 17.

Evans was cooking in the first half, catching four passes for 59 yards before the break. He would then catch only one pass for 10 additional yards over the final two quarters, knocking him off pace for his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season. The veteran wide receiver now needs to average 91 yards in each of the team’s final two contests to extend his NFL record, with games against the Panthers and Saints left on the schedule.

White did most of his work through the air with the team playing from behind throughout, while Bucky Irving saw the bulk of the carries. He did make a costly mistake by losing a fumble with under two minutes remaining, ultimately costing the Bucs a chance to steal a victory from the clutches of defeat. The Buccaneers host the Panthers in Week 17, an opponent that could afford more rushing opportunities than the team saw against the Cowboys.

Irving handily paced the team in backfield opportunities, seeing 16 carries and three targets to the three carries and eight targets for Rachaad White, with the bulk of White’s opportunities coming in the second half with the team in desperation mode. Even so, this backfield remains a strict timeshare between the two, with Irving the favorite to see the most carries and White the favorite to see the most usage through the air. Irving could see heavy usage in Week 17 when the Buccaneers host the Panthers.

Mayfield and the Buccaneers played from behind throughout as they fought to maintain their one-game lead over the Falcons in the NFC South, ultimately coming up just short in a wild fourth quarter. Down nine points with seven minutes remaining, Mayfield drove the team to midfield before Jourdan Lewis wrestled the ball away from Jalen McMillan in the end zone for an interception. The Bucs would force a three-and-out, getting the ball back with under five minutes to play. Mayfield drove the team down the field in two minutes to bring the game within two points following a touchdown pass to Ryan Miller. Another three-and-out gave the ball back to the Buccaneers with 1:40 remaining to play. On the first play of the possession, Mayfield avoided a sack and completed a shuttle pass to running back Rachaad White, who saw the football pried from his grasped on the way to the ground to effectively end the game with a narrow two-point loss. The loss now shifts the division lead back to the Falcons with two games to play after the Buccaneers dropped both games to Atlanta this season. Up next for Mayfield and the Bucs are the Panthers at home in Week 17.