Russell Gage Injury Update Boosts Week 1 Fantasy Outlook

Russell Gage has been sidelined since early August with a hamstring strain. After sitting out the entire preseason, managers are eager to know about Gage's status with Week 1 fast approaching.

Russell Gage Injury Update

The latest injury update on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver provides a boost to his fantasy outlook for the team's season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

Russell Gage Fantasy Outlook

Gage participated in back-to-back practices this week for the first time since his injury. Head coach Todd Bowles added that Gage is "trending in the right direction" and "on track to play" in the opener, according to the team's website.

This update is good news for managers considering Gage for their Week 1 lineups. The offseason signing could serve as the WR2 for Tampa Bay to begin the year if Chris Godwin isn't ready to come back from his December ACL tear yet, putting Gage in an attractive position as a top option in an elite passing offense led by Tom Brady.

Godwin shined despite splitting looks with Mike Evans last season, averaging 9.2 targets over the 13 full games he played before going down in Week 15. The likely absence of Godwin along with the departure of Rob Gronkowski (8.0 targets across 11 healthy games) opens up a huge opportunity for Gage from the jump.

The former Atlanta Falcon showcased his potential down the stretch last season. Over the last six contests, he turned an average of 8.8 targets into 6.5 receptions and 83.3 receiving yards per game. His average of 16.2 PPR points per game during that span proved massive for any managers that started him while fighting for a spot in the fantasy playoffs.

If Gage can hold off Julio Jones and assume Godwin's role right away, he would be a clear-cut starting option in the early going. Heading into Week 1, he's a FLEX play with upside against a Cowboys defense that gave up the 12th-most PPR points to wideouts last season.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. 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.