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Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without their top tight end, Cade Otton, when they face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Otton, who suffered a knee injury last week in the Bucs’ 40-17 victory at the Los Angeles Chargers, was downgraded to out Saturday and did not make the trip with the team to Arlington, Texas.
Otton’s 600 receiving yards are seventh most in the league among tight ends entering Week 16. His 59 receptions are also seventh most.
He ranks second on the team in receiving yards behind five-time Pro Bowler Mike Evans and played a key role in the passing game when Evans missed three games with a hamstring injury and Chris Godwin was lost for the season.
Because of that, Otton’s 86 targets have actually made him the team’s most targeted player this year. He has also run more routes out of the slot this year (219) than any other player on the team.
But Otton’s contributions aren’t just felt with the ball in his hands. He has made big strides this season as a run blocker. He has produced a 74.9% run blocking win rate — fourth best on his team at any position. In fact, 95.4% of Otton’s run blocking wins (62 wins, three losses) have resulted in first downs — the best percentage of any player on the team.
The Buccaneers are currently on a four-game win streak and have improved to 8-6, holding a one-game lead over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South. They’ll need to keep that margin as the Falcons have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
A win Sunday would tie the Bucs’ second-longest single-season win streak in franchise history and their longest since 2016, and it would give the Bucs a 93% chance to win the NFC South, according to ESPN Analytics. However, they are 0-3 in prime-time games this season.