Antoine Winfield Jr., Jamel Dean Active For Sunday Night
According to the team, Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) and defensive back Jamel Dean (knee) are both active for Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders. Both defensive backs were able to log full practice sessions on Friday, which put them in a good position to suit up. Winfield has missed the previous four games while Dean just missed Week 18. Winfield has tallied 60 tackles and two sacks across nine games, while Dean has tallied 59 tackles, seven deflections, and an interception across 12 games. Both will be deployed as key starters in this contest.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) will return to the field for Sunday's Wild-Card matchup against the Washington Commanders. Winfield has been practicing in full this week and will play for the first time since Week 14. That is a huge lift for this secondary as Winfield is one of the better safeties in the league. He has 60 tackles, two sacks, and three passes defended across nine games with the Bucs this season. It's also worth noting that defensive back Jamel Dean (knee) has been cleared to play after missing the regular season finale. Both players will give this secondary and immediate boost heading into this playoff contest.
Antoine Winfield Jr. Practicing In Full Ahead Of Wild-Card Game
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) was a full participant in the first practice of the week on Wednesday. Winfield looks to be on track to returning for the postseason to take on the Washington Commanders on Sunday night in the wild-card round after he missed the final four games of the regular season due to his knee injury. Getting the All-Pro safety back for the start of the playoffs would be huge for a Buccaneers secondary that has been friendly to opposing receivers for most of the year. While Winfield is a must-start in IDP formats whenever he's healthy, fantasy managers setting DFS lineups during wild-card weekend should still fade the Buccaneers defense/special teams unit against the Commanders and impressive rookie QB Jayden Daniels. The Bucs defense finished 21st in the league in overall fantasy points through 18 weeks.
Antoine Winfield Jr. To Miss Another Game Against Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) and cornerback Jamel Dean (knee) will not play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday versus the division-rival New Orleans Saints. Winfield injured his knee in the Week 14 win against the Las Vegas Raiders and hasn't played since, but he did return to practice on Thursday, which is a good sign for his availability if the Bucs win on Sunday and lock up the NFC South division title and a playoff berth. Dean aggravated a knee injury in the Week 17 win over the division-rival Carolina Panthers. It's unclear as to whether the 28-year-old will be available next week if the Buccaneers qualify for the playoffs. With Dean out this weekend, Josh Hayes will be asked to step up as the team's second cornerback. When healthy, Winfield is one of the best safeties in football, so it will be important for Tampa to get him back if they continue playing past Week 18.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) was a limited participant during Thursday's practice session. It's nice to see Winfield back at practice considering he hasn't played since suffering a knee injury in Week 14. A limited session on Thursday indicates that Winfield has a decent chance at playing against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. If so, that would be a huge upgrade for this secondary who desperately misses Winfield. This season, Winfield has 60 tackles, two sacks, and three passes defended in nine games.
According to Greg Auman of FOX Sports, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have ruled out safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. The defensive back suffered this knee injury during their Week 14 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders and will now miss his second-straight contest. Before the injury, Winfield tallied 49 tackles (30 solo) during Weeks 7 through 13. During this span he tallied two sacks and two pass deflections. While sidelined, fantasy managers in IDP formats should expect Christian Izien, Tykee Smith, and Kaevon Merriweather to see most of the snaps at the safety position.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that star safety Antoine Winfield (knee) suffered a knee injury in the Week 14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and will miss "a couple" of games. Winfield will almost certainly not play in the Week 15 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers and could also be held out in Week 16 versus the Dallas Cowboys. In addition to the 26-year-old's injury, Tampa's secondary is hurting down the stretch, as Mike Edwards (hamstring), Jordan Whitehead (pectoral), Josh Hayes (hamstring) and Bryce Hall (ankle) are also all injured. With Winfield set to miss time moving forward, expect Kaevon Merriweather to be in a starting role for at least Week 15. Fantasy managers in IDP leagues that made the playoffs will be forced to go in another direction at defensive back with Winfield injured.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield (knee) injured his knee in the first half of Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders and was originally ruled questionable to return. He has since been downgraded to out and will be sidelined for the rest of this contest. He didn't register any stats before leaving, and Kaevon Merriweather will take over at free safety. Winfield is a must-start defensive back in IDP fantasy leagues, so this could cost folks in Week 14. It remains to be seen if he'll be able to play in next week's contest against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Dec. 15.
Antoine Winfield Jr. Listed As Questionable For Week 9
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot) is currently listed as questionable ahead of Monday's Week 9 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Winfield popped up on the injury report on Friday due to a foot issue. That is concerning considering Winfield missed time earlier in the season due to a foot injury. However, head coach Todd Bowles said that Winfield will be fine for Monday's game. The absence of Winfield would be a significant hit to an already struggling Bucs secondary. Regardless of Winfield's status, the Bucs defense isn't an ideal streaming option against Patrick Mahomes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot) has been added to the injury report ahead of Monday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Oh no, Winfield missed four games earlier in the season due to a foot injury. Possibly, Winfield re-aggravated the issue which could be a problem especially this late in the week. The loss of Winfield would be a significant hit to a Bucs secondary that is already struggling. Christian Izien figures to start in his place if Winfield is unable to play. The 24-year-old has 40 tackles and one interception so far this season. The Bucs defense already wasn't an appealing streaming option but the loss of Winfield would only make them worse.
