If the Patriots are going to beat the Buccaneers on Thursday night, they'll need to score a ton of points, considering how bad their defense has been to this point in the season. And to do that, the Patriots will need star tight end Rob Gronkowski to haul in Tom Brady's passes. 

The problem with that plan? Gronkowski isn't playing. 

A few hours before the game, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Gronkowski likely wouldn't play due to a thigh injury. Roughly 90 minutes before kickoff, the Patriots confirmed that Gronk is out.

The Patriots are already without Julian Edelman, so losing Gronk is a devastating blow. So far this season, Gronk has caught 20 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. Without his most-reliable pass catcher, Brady will have to depend more on Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, and Dwayne Allen. The Patriots' defense is ranked 31st in points allowed, so Brady will need to put up points regardless of his supporting cast. 

Of note: If the Patriots lose, they'll fall to 2-3. According to The Washington Post, the Patriots haven't been under .500 at least five games into a season since Week 8 of 2002. 

Strangely enough, the Patriots have actually been better without Gronk since the beginning of 2016:

If you're in need of a replacement tight end for Fantasy purposes, our Fantasy crew has you covered.