Sit Buccaneers D/ST in Week 3 if you have a real alternative — 4.2 projected points lands 2.3 under the DST starter line.
- Projection
- 4.2 pts
- DST rank
- #17
- Matchup
- vs MIN
Buccaneers D/ST's fantasy role in Week 3
Buccaneers D/ST goes into Week 3 of the 2026 season as a every-week lineup piece at DST for the TB. He is rostered in 72% of leagues and actually started in 64% of them, and we rank him DST17 on our own weekly board at 4.2 projected points.
Interest is cooling — roster rates slipped roughly 2% in the last week, so he is getting cheaper to acquire if you believe in the role.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 3 matchup breakdown
The matchup: vs MIN. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 1 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting DST baseline of 6.5 points, his 4.2-point projection is 2.3 points short. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Sit Buccaneers D/ST in Week 3 if you have a real alternative — 4.2 projected points lands 2.3 under the DST starter line.
If you are deciding between him and another DST, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Buccaneers D/ST (TB DST), our DST17 this week for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season vs MIN, projecting 4.2 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. The projection sits about 35% under what a startable DST returns, so I can't pretend the price tag matches the output. At home against MIN, I expect the game to stay competitive enough that his usage holds. He's being dropped at a 2.2% clip, and I don't think the market is wrong about it. He's still in 64% of lineups at 72% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. Mild on the Pepper Meter is generous, honestly.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Buccaneers D/ST (TB DST), our DST17 this week for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season vs MIN, projecting 4.2 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. The projection sits about 35% under what a startable DST returns, so I honestly can't pretend the price tag matches the output. At home against MIN, I expect the game to stay competitive enough that his usage holds. He's being dropped at a 2.2% clip, and I don't think the market is wrong about it. He's still in 64% of lineups at 72% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. Mild on the Pepper Meter is generous, honestly.