Russell Gage

Week 16 at Arizona Cardinals

Russell Gage stepped up in a big way last week, leading the team in targets with 12. He ended up finishing with a stat line of 8-59-2. The surge of production was somewhat explained by Julio Jones being inactive. But it was still pretty surprising to see Gage get so many targets considering he had three total in the previous two games. Jones' health will be worth monitoring for Gage owners. If Jones is inactive, Gage becomes a viable option in a decent matchup vs. the Cardinals (18th aFPA). Although he does carry some risk considering he's had a lot of games with little production this year. If Jones is active, then Gage should be off the fantasy radar for Week 16.

Week 4 vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Russell Gage was the big winner of the Bucs' carousel of backup wide receivers in Week 3. With no Mike Evans, Chris Godwin or Julio Jones, Gage stepped up and saw a team-high 13 targets, finishing 12-87-1. His 13 targets were more than double any other player, and his 12 receptions were four more than every other wide receiver on the team combined. Unfortunately for Gage, Evans returns this week, and Jones might return. Gage's value really only came from the fact everyone else was out. If both players are active, he still has some appeal as a WR3. If Jones is out, then Gage will rise in the rankings and could be a sneaky start for teams in need. He'll draw a middle-of-the-road matchup vs. the Chiefs this week.

Week 2 at New Orleans Saints

Turns out Russell Gage will fill in for Chris Godwin after all. Although Gage was fairly limited in Week 1, finishing 2-13 on two targets, he played on 42% of the offensive snaps, matching fellow WR Breshad Perriman. Based on the snaps and targets from Week 1, Gage is clearly the third option behind Mike Evans and Julio Jones. But we saw plenty of success from Antonio Brown (the Bucs' WR3 last year) a season ago. Gage may not produce like AB, but he carries some fantasy relevance with Godwin sidelined. He should be viewed as a WR4 heading into a decent matchup vs. the Saints in Week 2. Gage's health should be monitored this week as he's dealing with a hamstring injury. In fact, all the WRs should be monitored as Mike Evans and Julio Jones have each missed practice. If either of them is out, then Gage becomes an even better option.