NFL Fantasy Football Outlook: Tampa Bay Buccaneers rest of season outlook & Antonio Brown suspension impact

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the reigning Super Bowl champions and are one of the top teams projected to have great odds to play in the championship this season.

The Buccaneers are currently 8-3 entering Week 13 and atop the NFC South with a three-game lead over the Atlanta Falcons. Quarterback Tom Brady is a 44-year-old MVP candidate and No.4 in fantasy football with 3,403 yards, 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His MVP-worthy season is part of the reason why the Buccaneers are a top contender in 2021.

Buccaneers Fantasy Football Outlook for Rest of 2021

While Tom Brady was expected to be a good draft pick in fantasy football in 2021, running back Leonard Fournette was not valued very highly entering the season. Fournette has been a steady player this year and is the eighth-best running back in fantasy football entering Week 13. He has 620 rushing yards, 354 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns through 11 games.

Mike Evans (WR7) and Chris Godwin (WR13) are two top-level receivers for the Buccaneers. Antonio Brown has been an "interesting" pickup for Tampa Bay over the last two seasons, but he's a story for later. Rob Gronkowski is a top-ten tight end when healthy and is a top-15 player despite playing six games.

The defense for the Buccaneers is the seventh-best in fantasy football, even after their secondary crumbled with injuries earlier in the season. They have 14 interceptions, 27 sacks and have allowed an average of 328 yards per game. If you have had any offensive starters or the defensive unit on your fantasy football roster this season, you're likely in a good position heading into the playoffs.

The remaining 2021 schedule for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is favorable, with only one opponent with a winning record at the moment: Buffalo Bills. They play four games against divisional rivals, which in the NFC South should have Tampa Bay as the favorite in all of them: the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Carolina Panthers twice. Carolina's defense could hinder the offense a bit, as could New Orleans. The Buccaneers are 8-3 and could easily finish with 12 or 13 wins and the No.1 seed. In fantasy football, playing as many Tampa Bay players as possible will bode well for you in a fantasy football championship run.

Antonio Brown suspension's impact on offense

Antonio Brown started the 2021 season in promising fashion, posting 121 yards and a touchdown in the season-opener. He cooled off in Week 2 and 3 but bounced back in Week 4 with 63 yards. In Week 5, he had 124 yards and two touchdowns, then 93 yards and a score in Week 6. However, he hasn't played since Week 6 due to an ankle sprain and heel injury. He was finally set to return in Week 14 but got caught in a COVID-19 dilemma.

Brown was caught with a fake vaccination card and thus broke NFL protocol for possibly the entire season. The NFL handed him a three-game suspension, allowing him to play again in Week 16. The Buccaneers have got to an 8-3 record without Antonio Brown the last six weeks and his absence has had minimal impact on the offense's production. His return will only help an already-solid offense.

If you still have Brown stashed on your fantasy football roster, you should still have two games left to play him if you are in the playoffs. Antonio Brown can help you in the semi-finals and, ultimately, the finals if you make it there.