O.J. Howard Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Bucs TE O.J. Howard (ankle) is active for today’s game against the Bears. He got in a full practice on Friday, so we’re not worried about the ankle. Howard figures to split pass-catching duties with TE Cameron Brate as TE Rob Gronkowski misses another game.

Bucs TE O.J. Howard (ankle) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Bears. He put in a full practice on Friday, though, so Howard should be ready to go on Sunday. He'll share pass-catching duties with TE Cameron Brate with TE Rob Gronkowski out.

Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski (ribs) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Bears. HC Bruce Arians has been saying that Gronk is close to returning for 2 weeks now, but don't be surprised if he also misses Week 8. The Bucs have a Week 9 bye. With Gronkowski out the past 3 weeks, TEs O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate have both totaled 11 targets. Howard out-targeted Brate 7 to 4 last week, though, and is the superior Week 7 fantasy play.

Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski (ribs) remained sidelined for Thursday's practice. He seems unlikely to return for this weekend's game vs. the Bears. TE O.J. Howard (ankle) returned to a limited practice on Thursday and figures to split pass-catching duties with TE Cameron Brate again on Sunday.

Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski (ribs) remained sidelined for Wednesday's practice. That's not a good start for his chances of returning for this weekend's game vs. the Bears. TE O.J. Howard was also sidelined on Wednesday with an ankle injury. We'll get another update on both guys tomorrow.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski has 2 cracked ribs and is in danger of missing at least 1 more game beyond Week 4. Initial X-rays reportedly failed to reveal the issue, but doctors found 2 hairline fractures on re-examination. Cameron Brate ranked 2nd among Tampa TEs in playing time and drew 4 targets against the Rams in Week 3 and looks like the better fantasy bet over O.J. Howard while Gronk is out

Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski (ribs) didn't travel with the team to New England and is out for Sunday night's game vs. the Patriots. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 5. TE Cameron Brate has run more routes than TE O.J. Howard (54 to 14) and seen more targets (6 to 2) through 3 weeks, so he's the preferred fantasy play if you need a Bucs TE.

Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski (ribs) is listed as doubtful for Sunday night's game vs. the Patriots. He didn't practice all week. It's a surprise after reports that Gronk was on track to play in this one. He obviously should be on fantasy benches now. We'll let you know if his status changes. TEs Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard figure to split pass-catching duties with Gronkowski out, leaving both guys as unreliable fantasy plays.

Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard returned to the practice field at the end of July, but that doesn't mean he's all the way back physically, coming off the Achilles' tendon tear that ended his 2020 season. “He’s not there yet," HC Bruce Arians said in his Monday press conference. "He had a chance to make a couple grimy chances in the end zone today [and] didn’t come up with them. I expect him to make those. He’s still catching up to the speed of it and the physicality of it. He’s been out a long time, so he needs this camp.” Howard remains a later-round flier in all formats, so it's easy to take on the risk that he doesn't rebound all the way. The upside, of course, is that he does get back close to 100% of his previous level and takes the receiving lead among Tampa Bay TEs. We'll see how he progresses through the rest of camp and preseason.

Bucs TE O.J. Howard practiced Friday for the first time since suffering a torn Achilles in October. Barring a setback, he appears on track for Week 1. The former 1st-rounder is in play as a late-round TE3 in FFPC best balls.

Titans WR Adam Humphries has inked a 4-year, $36 million deal with the Titans. The former undrafted free agent boosted his catch and yardage totals in each of his 4 seasons in Tampa Bay, topping out with a 76-816-5 line this past year. A pure slot receiver, Humphries is averaging just 10.6 yards per catch for his career but sports a nice 70.4% catch rate. He has a shot to finish 2nd on the 2019 Titans in targets, with nothing proven at WR behind Corey Davis and 34-year-old TE Delanie Walker returning from a fractured ankle. The Bucs, meanwhile, have now lost Humphries and DeSean Jackson today. That leaves Chris Godwin as the clear #2 and 2018 5th-rounder Justin Watson as an intriguing sleeper -- barring a major addition at the position. TE O.J. Howard should also see a rise in targets.