The Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed to pull out a dramatic win in their Monday Night Football matchup against the Indianapolis Colts this past week, but they didn’t escape the game completely unscathed. According to Rick Stroud from the St. Petersburg Times, late in the game rookie tight end Luke Stocker suffered a knee injury, making him unlikely to play this weekend against the 49ers.
Stocker was selected by the Buccaneers in the fourth round of this year’s draft, and he’s had a big impact on the Bucs’ running game so far this season. The Bucs are reliant on LeGarrette Blount, as he’s one of their best offensive weapons, so it will be interesting to see how/if Stocker’s absence affects the Bucs’ running game.
According to Bucs Nation, the Buccaneers don’t have many other great options behind Stocker:
The Bucs have two rookie TEs on the roster in Zack Pianalto and Collin Franklin to replace Luke Stocker. Pianalto has barely seen the field and missed Monday’s game with an injury, which lead to the Bucs promoting Franklin from the practice squad. Franklin played some snaps against the Colts, but didn’t do anything to stand out.
Stocker is currently considered week-to-week.
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