3 years agoAfter four years in Atlanta, Russell Gage signed a three-year, $30 million deal this offseason with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Chris Godwin likely out to start the season as he recovers from a torn ACL, Gage should step directly into a starting role. That role is a very valuable one in a Tom Brady-led offense, the slot. Last season, Godwin ranked eighth amongst all receivers in slot snaps despite missing four games at the end of the season. He averaged over nine targets per game last season mostly playing the slot. Gage may not see nine targets per game, but he's going to be utilized in a similar manner. Another positive for Gage is that he's gotten better each year. His target share has grown from 12.9% in 2019, to 18.6% in 2020, to 22% in 2021. His yards per route run (YPRR) increased significantly in 2021, up to 2.19. That was good for 13th amongst all receivers, compared to his 1.57 YPRR in 2020, which was good for just 63rd amongst all receivers. His 8.19 yards per target and 11.67 yards per catch last season were also both career-highs for Gage. Now he finds himself with Tampa Bay, a team that threw the ball a league-leading 43.3 times per game in 2021 despite playing with the lead most of the time. In Weeks 4-6, when all three of Godwin, Mike Evans, and Antonio Brown were available, they combined for a whopping 41 PPR fantasy points per game. Evans will get his, but then the wide receiver room gets a little thin after that. Gage has a realistic shot to return top-25 value early in the season with Godwin on the sidelines.--Adam Koffler - RotoBaller