Bucs WRs Jalen McMillan (hamstring) and Trey Palmer (concussion) are out for Thursday night's game vs. the Falcons. That'll leave Sterling Shepard as Tampa's No. 3 WR -- and push more targets to WR Chris Godwin, WR Mike Evans, and even TE Cade Otton. Otton is a viable Week 5 spot starter after compiling 17 targets over the past two weeks.
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans bounced back from a 2-17 receiving line in Week 3 against Denver for big production in Sunday's win over the Eagles. He led the team in targets (14), receptions (8), and receiving yards (94), and snagged the game's first TD from 2 yards out.
Godwin had a final stat line of six catches on nine targets for 53 yards and a TD. He led the team in targets again this week while Mike Evans disappointed with a stat line of two catches on three targets for 17 yards.
Bucs WR Mike Evans turned 31 years old in August. But he looked squarely in his prime against an overmatched Washington secondary. Seeing 6 targets -- tied for second on the team -- Evans tallied 5-61-2. That marked his third game with 2 TDs since Week 12 of last season.
The Buccaneers have agreed to a two-year extension with WR Mike Evans. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports it'll pay $52 million over the span, including $35 million in guarantees. This always seemed the most likely path, though some recent reports suggested talks were breaking down and Evans might reach free agency. He'll now stay in Tampa Bay for his age-31 and age-32 seasons. Evans has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his 10 Bucs seasons. His 2023 felt like a rebound, but that was mostly because of bad TD luck in 2022. Evans did lead the league with 13 TD catches in 2023, his third season among the past four with at least 13 scores. His 15.9 yards per catch marked his highest average since 2019 and beat his career average. We'll see how Tampa's QB situation shakes out, with Baker Mayfield headed for free agency. But betting against Evans hasn't worked very well to date.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Buccaneers would owe WR Mike Evans $28.4 million for 2024 if they use the franchise tag to retain him. That's significantly higher than the league-wide WR tag salary of $21.6 million because Evans carried a $23.7 million cap hit in 2023. This obviously doesn't keep Tampa Bay from signing Evans to a longer-term extension ahead of free agency. And it might not even keep the Bucs from tagging Evans. Spotrac projects the team to be more than $37 million under the 2024 even with the existing $12.2 million hit of Evans' voided 2024. The team could also tag Evans and then rescind the tag if he doesn't sign the tender and the two sides fail to work out a longer deal. We're betting for now that the 31-year-old (come Aug. 21) sticks around. But that's no sure thing.
Update: Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz says his "understanding is Evans is trending toward becoming a free agent, barring an unexpected change in discussions."
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield (ankle, ribs) is listed as questionable for Monday night's playoff game vs. the Eagles. He got in limited practices on Friday and Saturday. We'd be surprised if Mayfield did not play on Monday, but we'll continue to keep you updated on his status. QB Kyle Trask is Mayfield's backup.
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans caught just three of a team-high 8 targets for 22 yards in Sunday's win over the Panthers. Tampa Bay managed just 137 passing yards and 9 points for the game, so there wasn't much offense for anyone. But the Bucs did close out the NFC South title. You can check our updated NFL playoff rankings this week to see where Evans lands if you're continuing the fantasy football season. Beyond that, though, Evans faces free agency this March ahead of his age-31 campaign. Spotrac projects the Buccaneers to carry about $48 million in cap space for 2024, so there could be room to re-sign the vet. But the team appeared to decide against extending Evans at the beginning of this season. We'd bet right now on Evans leaving town. His performance this year has shown Evans can still play. He averaged his most yards per target (9.2) since 2020 and most yards per catch since 2019. The uncertainty will add risk to Evans in early best ball drafting. But there could also be opportunity in those drafts and the dynasty trade market if uncertainty pushes Evans' price down. He'll be worth a look wherever he's valued as a mid-to-low WR3.
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin drew a team-high 11 targets in Sunday's win over the Jaguars. He caught six for 78 yards. Godwin trailed WR Mike Evans in receptions and yards and watched Evans catch both of the team's passing TDs. This marked the third straight game in which Godwin drew 11+ targets and led the team. He's a comfy PPR option for a Week 17 home date with the Saints.
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin has had a challenging season that has included playing through multiple injuries. HC Todd Bowles called him banged up "more than most" coming off Week 13. OC Dave Canales said heading into Week 14 that he needed to get Godwin more involved. That led to 11 targets at Atlanta, but Godwin caught just five for 53 yards. And then he missed two of three practices this week with a knee injury before being questionable on the final injury report. The wideout then tied his season high with 12 targets in the win over the Packers, 42.9% of QB Baker Mayfield's total pass attempts for the game. Godwin caught 10 of those, two more receptions than in any other game this season and four more than he'd caught in any contest since Week 4. And he racked up a season-high 155 yards. It certainly didn't hurt that Green Bay played without S Darnell Savage and top CB Jaire Alexander. Godwin gets an even better matchup against Jacksonville in Week 16 and then a decent spot against the Saints to close the fantasy season (in most leagues). Expect him to land at least in high-WR3 territory of our rankings the next two weeks -- perhaps higher against the Jaguars. WR Mike Evans, meanwhile, seems to have suffered from the attempt to get Godwin more involved over the past two weeks. Evans has seen just 6 targets in each of those games, trailing Godwin 23-12 in total for that span.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield injured his right ankle on a QB sneak in the first quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Colts. He was able to return and finish out the game, completing 20 of 30 passes for 199 yards, two TDs, and one INT. But Mayfield took six sacks and was clearly missing his usual mobility. Neither Mayfield nor HC Todd Bowles would guarantee afterward that Mayfield will be able to play vs. the Panthers this weekend. “I’ll have to wait until he gets checked out and see how bad it is after the game once he puts it up. That’s going to be the tell-tale sign," Bowles said. We'll look for further updates on Mayfield's injury and track his practice participation this week. QB Kyle Trask would get the start if Mayfield is out.
WR Mike Evans led the Bucs with 82 yards receiving and a score in the Week 7 loss to the Falcons. The highlight was a vintage 40-yard TD on a go route in the first quarter. Evans finished second to WR Chris Godwin with eight targets for a 19.0% target share. Evans has now averaged 9.2 targets, 5.4 catches, 85.6 yards, and 0.8 TDs in five full games this season. He's looking like at least a weekly WR2 going forward, with QB Baker Mayfield's week-to-week inconsistency the only downside.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin led the team with 6 catches and 77 yards in Week 6. He went without a TD, though, and hasn’t found the end zone since Week 15 of last season. Meanwhile, Mike Evans, fresh off a hamstring injury, was held in check (4-49 on 10 targets). The Bucs square off with Atlanta in Week 7, when Godwin will likely rank as a WR3.
Bucs WR Mike Evans (hamstring) was a full participant in Friday's practice and will be a "full go" for this weekend's game vs. the Lions, per HC Todd Bowles. "Mike was full go," Bowles said Friday. "[He] fully participated. He looked good. ... He's playing." Evans is safe to get into Week 6 fantasy lineups against a Detroit defense sitting 29th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs.
Bucs WR Mike Evans (hamstring) remained sidelined on Thursday. Evans is expected to test out that injured hamstring on Friday before a decision is made on whether he'll play vs. the Lions. Check back tomorrow for another update on the situation.
Update: Evans was officially limited in Thursday's practice. We'll see what he does on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report.
Bucs WR Mike Evans (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. That's not a good look with Tampa coming off the bye week. Evans seems iffy for this Sunday's game vs. the Lions, but we'll see if he's able to get back on the field tomorrow.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin posted his best game to date in Week 4. Seeing 11 targets, the 27-year-old tallied 8 grabs for 114 yards. Mike Evans (hamstring) left in the second quarter, which helped Godwin garner a whopping 34.3% target share – well ahead of the next closest Buc (Deven Thompkins, 12.5%). If Evans misses Week 5, Godwin will become a strong WR2 with upside.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles said after Sunday's game vs. the Saints that WR Mike Evans "tweaked" his hamstring and would undergo tests tomorrow. Evans had a “mild but not significant limp” leaving the stadium, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. We should learn more about the severity tomorrow.
Bucs WR Mike Evans suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Saints. He's officially questionable to return. Stay tuned for an update.
Update: Evans has been ruled out.
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans racked up 171 yards and caught the team's lone TD pass in Sunday's win over the Bears. Evans tied WR Chris Godwin for the target lead with eight, catching six of those. Godwin posted a 5-58 receiving line. TE Cade Otton added 6 receptions for 41 yards on 6 targets. The Bucs host Philly in Week 3, an opponent they're likely to trail and a defense with multiple injuries across the starting secondary. Expect Evans and Godwin to land well inside starter territory in our Week 3 rankings.
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