PLAYER NOTES
–RB Peyton Barber still is struggling with a nagging ankle sprain and was limited in practice Wednesday.
–WR Mike Evans, who had only one catch for 18 yards Sunday against the Panthers, has a knee injury and did not practice Wednesday.
–RT Demar Dotson continues to struggle with a knee and shoulder injury and did not practice Wednesday. That has been his routine for the past few weeks, but he has not missed a start this season.
–CB M.J. Stewart has a foot injury that forced him to miss last week’s game at Carolina. He did not practice Wednesday.
–DE Vinny Curry, who managed to overcome an ankle injury, did not practice on Wednesday.
–RB Ronald Jones ii, who did not play last Sunday due to a hamstring injury, did not practice Wednesday.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Adam Humphries. The Bucs slot receiver had a big game last week at Carolina. He had eight catches on eight targets for 82 yards and a career-high two touchdowns. That included a 30-yard TD reception. Humphries also rushed once for seven yards. Humphries will become an unrestricted free agent next year.
GAME PLAN: The Bucs have to end the slow starts. Three times they’ve allowed 30 or more points in the first half. Tampa Bay’s defense is in shambles. But stopping the run will be job one for the Bucs. Peterson has hurt the Bucs before when he was with the Arizona Cardinals. The Redskins are big and physical, which means the Bucs won’t be able to run the football very well. They will need a big game from Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The Bucs will likely challenge Smith to beat them over the top since he is a quarterback who doesn’t like to force throws down the field.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Bucs WR Mike Evans vs. Redskins CB Josh Norman. Evans is coming off one of his worst games as a pro. He’s battling a knee injury. Norman is a trash talker and still a good defender. It should be a good matchup.
–Redskins RB Adrian Peterson vs. Bucs LB Lavonte David. Peterson seems ageless and has really helped the Redskins offense. He’s fifth in the NFL with 604 yards. David is the last remaining linebacker from the group that started the season for the Bucs.
