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Bucs down with JPP

Pass rusher could miss season

It's not often that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a relevant fantasy defense. Just once in the last five years have they had a top-10 group (1 point for sacks, 2 for takeaways, 6 for touchdowns). But they made progress in some areas a year ago. Too bad it looks like they've already suffered a major setback for 2019.

Jason Pierre-Paul, the poster child for off-field mishaps when he blew off part of his hand in a fireworks accident a few years ago, was involved in a single-car accident last week. He reportedly fractured vertebrae in his neck. It's an injury that could require surgery, and the recovery timetable is 5-6 months. That would certainly cost him at least half the season, maybe more.

Pierre-Paul's first year in Tampa Bay was a strong one; he had 12.5 sacks. That was instrumental in the team nearly doubling its sack total from 2017 to 2018, improving 2017's bottom-ranked pass rush by 16 sacks. That was the 2nd biggest increase in the NFL.

TEAM SACKS DIFFERENTIAL, 2017-18
DefenseSk(17)Sk(18)Rk(17)Rk(18)Diff
Kansas City315224-251-2+21
Tampa Bay22383219-21+16
Minnesota375017-193-4+13
Indianapolis25383119-21+13
Arizona374917-195-6+12
Denver3344228-10+11
Houston32432311-14+11
NY Jets28392816-18+11
Buffalo273629-3026+9
Chicago42507-103-4+8
Detroit35432011-14+8
New Orleans42497-105-6+7
Green Bay374417-198-10+7
San Francisco303726-2722-25+7
Philadelphia384415-168-10+6
Washington42467-107+4
Seattle394313-1411-14+4
Cleveland34372122-25+3
NY Giants273029-3030-31+3
Baltimore414311-1211-14+2
Dallas383915-1616-18+1
Miami303126-2729+1
Atlanta393713-1422-25-2
Pittsburgh565211-2-4
Tennessee43395-616-18-4
LA Chargers43385-619-21-5
LA Rams4841415-7
Cincinnati413411-1228-7
New England42307-1030-31-12
Carolina5035327-15
Jacksonville5537222-25-18
Oakland311324-2532-18

Tampa Bay added probably the draft's top linebacker in Devin White, so the defense could have reasonably taken another step forward this season. Maybe it still will, but it sounds like it won't have Pierre-Paul. Hard to see where this defense is going to get its pass rush.

--Andy Richardson

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