Scotty Miller Fantasy: Can he be trusted to bounce back in Week 6?

Does Scotty Miller need to be started in fantasy football on Sunday? When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the Green Bay Packers, they will need all the help they can get as nearly all of their vital wide receivers carry an injury designation. With Chris Godwin yet to see the field since Week 3 and Mike Evans not practicing on Wednesday, the Buccaneers need Miller to step and fill a large role in the offense. But is it a smart move to trust Scotty Miller’s fantasy value in Week 6? Should you put him in your fantasy lineup after disappointing in a similar situation last week?

Miller, among others, find themselves on the Week 6 injury report

At this point, it is starting to feel like déjà vu because even if the week changes, the storylines stay the same for the Buccaneers and their receivers. The Buccaneers injury report strikes a shockingly similar appearance to their depth chart at wide receiver with nearly every player mentioned.

• Chris Godwin (Hamstring/Limited Participant)
• Mike Evans (Ankle/Limited Participant)
• Scotty Miller (Hip, Groin/Limited Participant)
• Justin Watson (Chest/Limited Participant)

In their Week 5 loss on Thursday Night Football to Nick Foles and the Chicago Bears, both Godwin and Watson were unable to suit up, which left Evans and Miller to carry the load. Rookie Tyler Johnson was able to finally get some opportunities, thanks to all of the injuries.

Evans has been trying to gut-out games for the past two weeks with his injured ankle, so unless we hear of a setback, we should expect to see him on the field again, leaving Godwin to be the central question in terms of availability.

It is setting up for Scotty Miller to have an increased fantasy role in Week 6? And after disappointing fantasy managers last week, should they put their trust in Scotty Miller again?

Scotty Miller can only improve for his fantasy GMs after his disappointing Week 5 disappearing act

While I say that full of sarcasm, is it entirely accurate. In a game where multiple receivers were out, and Miller was out there for 45 snaps, including 35 pass routes, he did not see a single target. As I said, it can only get better, right? 

It was so bad that in the post-game, Tony Gonzalez said that Miller “did not play,” apparently forgetting he was active. Honestly, I can’t blame him, but it shows how bad he was for that game. 

The issue isn’t his production when getting the ball; Scotty Miller’s inconsistency has hurt him in the eyes of fantasy managers. The target totals for Miller through five weeks have been six, three, five, seven, and zero. 

Related | Week 6 Waiver Wire: Drop players to add these rising fantasy studs

In the weeks where he has seen five or more targets, Miller has had a game of 73 yards receiving and two more with 83 yards, along with a receiving touchdown. So, you can see why fantasy managers are excited about Scotty Miller’s potential. You would also think this would make the Buccanneers coaching staff want to get him more involved in the passing game. Miller’s 16.3-yard average depth of target ranks as the ninth-highest in the league. 

Going into this matchup against the Packers, Miller is likely to be covered by Kevin King, who allows a catch rate of 62% to opposing wide receivers. The Packers issue is that King has yet to practice this week after suffering a quadriceps injury in their Week 4 win over the Falcons and is still bothered by it after the bye week.

If this continues and he misses the game, Miller would likely match up against Josh Jackson, the 2018 second-round pick who hasn’t started a game in two years. This year, Jackson has been targeted four times in his limited work, allowing completed passes on three of them for 35 yards (11.7 YPC). Scotty Miller should easily win his individual matchup against the backup cornerback and could be in line for a big week on the field and in fantasy.

If Godwin misses Week 6, Scotty Miller is in line for a solid fantasy performance

Scotty Miller was the chalk play last week in fantasy, and we all had to eat it while he put up a goose egg. One piece of advice I give for fantasy is this – don’t let a bad taste in your mouth cloud your judgment on what could be a good play in the following week. You will likely see people leaving Scotty Miller on their fantasy bench because they are still upset and will be missing out on what could be a big day from him.

While I dont think he will be in the WR2 category, I think he should be a lock for double-digit fantasy points. I think a stat line of five catches on seven targets for 75 yards is what I am expecting. Throw in a sneaky touchdown into the mix, and that is closing in on 20 fantasy points in PPR scoring. If I have Scotty Miller, he will be in my flex spot in my fantasy lineups this weekend. 

Want more fantasy football analysis and news?

Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @PFN365 to stay up to date with all things around the NFL and the 2020 fantasy football season. Also, continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis while also visiting our fantasy football section for more coverage and up-to-date rankings.

Tommy Garrett is a writer for PFN covering Fantasy Football. You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.