TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers players who are gearing up for the team's fourth preseason game and fighting for roster spots may not be playing in the most ideal circumstances. The game, which originally was scheduled for Thursday night, got moved to Wednesday due to severe weather that is expected from Tropical Depression Nine.

The brunt of bad weather is expected Thursday, when forecasters say the storm will make landfall along Florida's west coast. There is a potential for 50 mph winds to sweep through the Tampa Bay area beginning at 2 p.m., and by nighttime, winds could reach 65 mph with 4 to 6 inches of rain.

"Looking from this weekend and later on into the week, you kind of knew something was going to happen. The storm was going to turn or something like that," fourth-year running back Mike James said. "It's an adjustment we've got to make as a team -- not just me, but everybody has to make that adjustment. The Redskins do, too."

James is competing for the third running back spot with Russell Hansbrough and Peyton Barber.

"No matter how these things play [out], you've always got to be ready to play," James said.

To make matters worse, he had been dealing with an injury that kept him out of last Friday's preseason game. He returned to practice Tuesday, but he's not sure if he'll play Wednesday.

Second-year wide receiver Evan Spencer is in a similar position to James, having left the second preseason game with a knee injury. He also missed last week's game and returned to practice Monday, when he was running full routes and cutting with ease. Does the potential of playing in tropical storm conditions, including a slick field and heavy rain, create any doubt in his mind that he'll be able to cut and change direction on his routes without hesitation?

"Not really," he said. "Shoot, playing in Ohio, you kind of have to get used to all kinds of fields. I've experienced pretty much everything. Trust me."

If Spencer had his choice between rain and snow, though, he'd choose snow.

"Because it's dry," he said. "Rain, everything gets wet -- your gloves get wet, your shoes get wet, you feel damp, you feel cold. Snow, for the most part, as long as you're staying warm, that's all you've got to worry about."

Spencer doesn't know how many snaps he'll get because of the knee, but he's eager to play, not just to fight for a roster spot, but to face the team that brought him into the league as a sixth-round draft pick and cut him before he signed with the Buccaneers.

"I know one thing -- when they let me out there, whenever it is, however long it is, whatever time I'm allotted, I'm going to do everything in my power to make as many plays as possible," said Spencer, who is competing with Kenny Bell and Bernard Reedy for the No. 5 receiver spot behind Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Adam Humphries and Russell Shepard.

Another player recovering from an injury is rookie offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch. He suffered an ankle injury and was out for three weeks before returning last week. He has yet to participate in a preseason game and said he's not sure if he'll play Wednesday. An extra day might have helped him get on the field.

The timing of the game also impacts players who are recovering from a litany of minor bumps and bruises. While the majority of starters will rest, the fourth preseason game typically is one with a short turnaround. It's even shorter now, with four days of rest in between games rather than five, similar to a Thursday night game.

"It changes the recovery time," Bell said. "It's been a long camp. Guys are banged up and hurting a little bit. But it's not an excuse. You've got to get up and go."

Bell admitted these circumstances for the game will be challenging. "[It's] just unfortunate, just to stack it against you. You're talking about trying to make a team as a receiver, to know that a tropical storm is coming that's gonna mess with the field and there's gonna be a wet football -- I mean, it's tough. It's the kind of stuff you just have to laugh at, as life is throwing punches your way. You've just gotta dodge 'em because that's certainly a big one."

Head coach Dirk Koetter said players are used to practicing in rainy conditions -- including Tuesday's practice, which was held under scattered showers -- so he doesn't anticipate there being issues for players coming off of injuries.

"Anybody that we’d be in fear of injury wouldn’t be playing anyway," Koetter said. "If they haven’t been cleared to play -- and that’s not my call, that comes from the medical staff -- if guys are cleared to play, they’re cleared to play.

"I don’t know what kind of conditions we’re talking about. If it’s bad enough that it’s unsafe, there [are] rules in place to handle that. Lightning, we have a lightning delay. If the field becomes unplayable -- but I think that’s one of the reasons they moved it up, so we wouldn’t be in that situation.”