Vita Vea Injury Update Could Boost Buccaneers' Defense in NFC Championship Game

Vita Vea Injury Status News

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense is getting a huge shot in the arm. Run-stuffing defensive tackle Vita Vea is set to return in the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers for the first time since breaking his leg in Week 5.

Expected to play somewhere between 20 and 25 snaps today, this could be a huge addition to an already-dominant defense.

Tampa Bay finished the regular season with the league's best run defense, surrendering 80.6 rushing yards per game (No. 1 in the NFL) and first by rush defense DVOA. In the five games Vea played, that yardage figure figured plummeted to just 58.4 rushing yards per game.

Vea isn't just a one-trick pony though. ProFootballFocus gave him a 90.3 grade as a pass-rusher in 2020, which was the third-best such mark in the league, trailing only Aaron Donald and Chris Jones among DTs.

With Tampa Bay reckoning with the loss of Antonie Winfield Jr., the return of Vea could prove huge for this defense.

The Buccaneers are currently 3-point underdogs against the Packers, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk free for up to $1,000!

Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. 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.