Julio Jones Injury Update Boosts Russell Gage Fantasy Outlook as Week 2 Sleeper

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

Tampa Bay's wide receiver group is growing smaller and smaller by the day. Chris Godwin has already been ruled out for Week 2 NFL action and now veteran Julio Jones has also been ruled inactive for the Buccaneers' matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

On the plus side, these injuries make Russell Gage a fantasy sleeper on Sunday.

Julio Jones Injury Update

Jones is nursing a knee injury that kept him out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday. The veteran pass-catcher did return in a limited capacity on Friday and was upgraded to a game-time decision, although he was ultimately ruled out ahead of Sunday's contest.

Russell Gage Fantasy Outlook

With Jones out, no one receives a bigger boost from a fantasy football perspective than Russell Gage. Yes, Gage has been in and out of practice this week as well with a hamstring issue, but he's expected to suit up and act as the No. 2 WR behind Mike Evans.

Jones and Godwin combined for 104 receiving yards on 6 receptions (8 targets) last week. Tampa Bay also posted the highest passing play percentage in the NFL last year (66.5%) and Evans has been shut down by Marshon Lattimore in the past. That all bodes well for Gage's chances of balling out in a game the Bucs are favored to win on FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds.

Fantasy managers in need of some upside in their lineup or dealing with a WR injury or two can feel confident streaming Gage this week. Quarterback Tom Brady has all the motivation in the world to keep his foot on the gas here after a disappointing (for him) Week 1 performance, so Gage should be peppered with short and medium-range targets while Evans handles more of the deep balls.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.