Questionable
Injury Knee
Est. Return 2/9/2026
2025 Defense Stats
TCKL
38
SACKS
3.0
INT
1
FF
2
TD
1
Rest-of-Season Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Nelson arrived in Tampa Bay as a fourth-round pick in 2019, and six years into his NFL career, it apparently remains the ideal professional setting for him. He re-signed with the Buccaneers on a two-year contract this offseason, and he's slated to fill a rotational role that most recently saw him record 40 total tackles, including 4.0 sacks, one pass defense, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery across 538 snaps over 17 regular-season games in 2024. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#
IDP
Signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Buccaneers in March of 2023.
Out for Week 18
Nelson (knee) has been ruled out ahead of Saturday's matchup against the Panthers, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
Nelson is now in line to miss his second consecutive game due to a sprained knee suffered in Tampa Bay's Week 16 loss to the Panthers. The 28-year-old is an important part of the Buccaneers' linebacker corps, recording 38 total tackles, including 3.0 sacks, two passes defensed and two forced fumbles over 15 appearances this season. While he's sidelined during Saturday's must-win matchup, expect Chris Braswell to serve as Tampa Bay's top reserve outside linebacker.
Nelson is now in line to miss his second consecutive game due to a sprained knee suffered in Tampa Bay's Week 16 loss to the Panthers. The 28-year-old is an important part of the Buccaneers' linebacker corps, recording 38 total tackles, including 3.0 sacks, two passes defensed and two forced fumbles over 15 appearances this season. While he's sidelined during Saturday's must-win matchup, expect Chris Braswell to serve as Tampa Bay's top reserve outside linebacker.
NFL Stats
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2025 NFL Game Log
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2025 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Buccaneers 2025 LB Snap DistributionLoading Weekly Snap Counts...
2025 Anthony Nelson Split Stats
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Measurables Review
How do Anthony Nelson's measurables compare to other linebackers?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 7"Weight
271 lbs40-Yard Dash
4.82 secShuttle Time
4.23 secCone Drill
6.95 secVertical Jump
35.5 inBroad Jump
118 inBench Press
18 repsHand Length
9.88 inArm Length
34.88 in
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Nelson re-signed with the Buccaneers in the offseason after turning in a career-best season in 2022 that saw him amass 46 tackles, including 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery while appearing in every regular-season game for the third consecutive campaign. The 2019 fourth-round pick is considered a starting-quality backup at this stage after filling in admirably for Shaquil Barrett's following the latter's Week 8 Achilles tear last season.
More Fantasy News
Doesn't practice Wednesday
Nelson (knee) did not practice Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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Out for Sunday
Nelson (knee) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Dolphins, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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DNP with knee
Nelson (knee) did not participate in Wednesday's practice.
ANALYSIS
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Diagnosed with knee sprain
Coach Todd Bowles said Monday that Nelson suffered a sprained knee in Sunday's loss to the Panthers, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Won't return vs. Carolina
Nelson (knee) has been ruled out for the rest of Sunday's game against the Panthers, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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