O.J. Howard (TE, TB) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Jameis Winston loves to work with big targets down the field, and at 6-6 and 251 lbs., the former Crimson Tide tight end O.J. Howard qualifies as a heavyweight option. There are a few obvious competitors for work in the passing-game above Howard in Tampa Bay, most notably being DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans, not to mention that 2-3 Bucs have experienced a bit of an awkward transition on offense after getting Winston back from his suspension to replace "Fitzmagic". Winston may have gotten off to a wobbly start and always has his issues with turnovers, but he exploded for 395 passing yards with four TDs (and two INT) last week on an optimistic note for the Buccaneer aerial assault. Regardless of who is playing QB for Tampa, Howard has thrived as a big-play TE to start the season with the exception of week four when he was forced from the contest with an injury with zero catches on three targets.

Howard ranks fifth on the Bucs roster in targets (21), receptions (15), and surprisingly touchdowns (2), yet his 284 receiving yards are good for third on the team while his highly impressive 18.9 yards-per-reception rank only behind perennial deep-threat DeSean Jackson. Howard has currently only seen two targets in the red-zone for which he converted one into a ten-yard TD grab, but he has also seen seven targets for five receptions and 71 yards between the opponent's 49-20 yard lines, while his other score came on a 75-yard play that began between Tampa's own 21-50 yard lines. Now that Jameis Winston is back and slinging for 270 yards per game in his first two contests back, he's going to be eyeing his power forward-like targets down the field and in potential scoring plays. O.J. Howard has yet to go for less than 54 yards receiving when he plays a full game, and with Jackson garnering most of the down-field attention from defenses facing the Buccaneers, Howard has a strong chance to do significant damage on the field in the coming weeks.