Winston may not play all of the Buccaneers' offensive snaps in Week 17 against the Falcons after coach Dirk Koetter said Monday that the team would like to get backup quarterback Ryan Griffin his first NFL regular-season reps in the contest, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "The guy's been here for three years," Koetter said of Griffin. "He's worked his tail off."
Koetter didn't expound on what Griffin's workload might look like if he enters the game, but based on the coach's comments, it's likely the 29-year-old would only take the field for a brief cameo. It would amount to a token gesture of gratitude for a player who has spent the bulk of six professional seasons on either the New Orleans or Tampa Bay rosters without officially making his NFL debut. With that in mind, Griffin's potential usage might only be a minor hindrance on Winston's fantasy outlook, as the Buccaneers are still incentivized to roll with the latter behind center in the season finale with his place in the team's plans for 2019 not yet formally decided. Assuming he indeed handles the overwhelming majority of the snaps, Winston projects as a respectable option in both season-long and DFS lineups while taking on an Atlanta defense that has yielded a 68.4 percent completion rate (28th in NFL) and 29 touchdown throws (tied for 24th) to opposing passers.