A Monday Night Football matchup with the Ravens proved to be disastrous for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They lost their top two receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, in a single game. Godwin's ankle injury was season-ending, but Evans was projected to return in a handful of weeks after recovering from a hamstring issue.
Without their top offensive weapons, the Buccaneers have unsurprisingly struggled. They've lost four straight games and had their worst offensive performance of the year in Week 10, accumulating just 215 yards of total offense. This team will certainly benefit from Evans' presence in the lineup.
Following his hamstring injury, the expectation was that Evans would be able to return in Week 12, following the Buccaneers' bye week. Well, Week 12 is upon and Tampa Bay is in desperate need of a win. Let's check in to see if Evans will be available against the Giants.
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Will Mike Evans play this week? Injury update on Buccaneers' WR
Following the Buccaneers' bye week, Evans' practice participation has been spotty. He was limited on Wednesday and Friday, with a full practice sandwiched in between on Thursday. Evans has officially drawn a questionable tag for Sunday's game.
WR Mike Evans was limited and is questionable for Sunday’s game against the NY Giants. T Tristan Wirfs and Zyon McCollum are questionable. pic.twitter.com/o7mY7LZaWe
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) November 22, 2024
Evans may be questionable, but the expectation is that he'll play on Sunday. Regarding Evans' usage on Sunday, head coach Todd Bowles told the media, "We’ll play him as long as he’s healthy and fresh. If he needs to be in there, he’ll be in there, but we’ll get him out when we have to.” Expect Evans to be out there even if it's not in a full-time role.
Buccaneers' WR Depth Chart: Who is Mike Evans' Backup?
With Evans and Godwin sidelined in recent weeks, we've seen the Buccaneers reach to depths of their wide receiver room. Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer, Ryan Miller, and Rakim Jarrett have all been involved in some capacity in the last month.
Considering Evans is expected to play, we won't see more than a few of these players regularly on the field this week. Expect to see McMillan, Shepard, and Palmer getting reps alongside Evans. Overall, this passing attack should flow through Evans, tight end Cade Otton, and the running backs.
WEEK 12 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
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Mike Evans fantasy outlook Week 12
As always, projecting the usage for players in their first game back from injury is incredibly tricky. The comments from Todd Bowles further muddy the outlook for his offensive role. Even with these concerns, Evans should be in lineups this week.
Evans is the only legitimate target earner among the Tampa Bay wide receivers and should be peppered with targets for the rest of the year. Evans also has the playmaking ability to deliver starting-caliber fantasy production even if he's on a snap count. He comes in as the WR5 in the Sporting News' WR Rankings and should be started without a second thought.
