The Buccaneers slipped up last week against the Saints and have dropped four of their last five games. They’ll look to get back on track in Week 15 when they host the Falcons in an important divisional matchup. Reinforcements could be on the way, though, as Mike Evans (collarbone) seems to be on track to return from IR.
If he returns to action, how will that impact Emeka Egbuka and the rest of the team’s fantasy football value? Let’s dive in and take a look at the latest info on Evans and the fantasy football outlook for some of the players who could help fill in.
Mike Evans Injury Update
Evans broke his collarbone in Week 7 against the Lions, when he was playing his first game back after missing three weeks with a hamstring issue. Evans played three full games before that initial injury, catching 14 passes on 27 targets for 140 yards and one touchdown, which came against the Jets in Week 3.
Evans could return this week, according to coach Todd Bowles, and he was reportedly pushing to return last week against the Saints before being ruled out.
If he’s back, he could be eased into work, though, as the Bucs have done with Chris Godwin Jr. and Bucky Irving in their respective returns from injury. Evans could be on a “pitch count” making him a high-risk, high-reward option against the Falcons if he’s active. He typically gets plenty of targets when he’s on the field as he’s Baker Mayfield’s go-to option, and even in his limited action against the Lions, he drew four targets before his new injury.
Impact on Emeka Egbuka
If Evans does return, he would draw attention away from Buccaneers’ rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka, who has filled in for Evans while he has been out. Egbuka has slowed down his production recently, with under 50 yards receiving in four straight games and no touchdowns during that span.
Egbuka has dropped to a low-range WR2 in season-long leagues, but Evans’ return could actually help jump-start his production, since the defense will have to pay more attention to the veteran. Egbuka’s targets would likely drop if Evans’ returns, but some of his best weeks were early in the season, when Evans was working on the other side. In the three games Evans played before his hamstring injury, Egbuka had 14 catches and three touchdowns.
The opportunities have been there for the rookie in the last few games, and he has managed to get open. However, he hasn’t been able to convert many catches, and has had some brutal drops.
He just needs to turn a few of those plays around to get back to high-level production, and since the plays are there to be made, I still see him as a WR2, even if Evans is active this week.
Evans’ return would raise the risk of a bust week for Ebguka since his targets could be reduced, but all he needs to do is break loose for one or two big plays, and he’ll be worth starting in almost all formats.
The Rest of the Receivers
Chris Godwin has posted over 50 yards in each of the last two weeks, out-producing Egbuka since neither has been able to find the end zone. Godwin is viable as a FLEX play this week against Atlanta, and is back to getting enough targets that he’s actually lower risk than Evans in his return.
Jalen McMillan (neck) has been on IR with Evans and the two receivers have been limited in practice together. McMillan hasn’t played yet this season, but he could also enter the rotation this week against Atlanta.
With so many receivers battling injury, Tez Johnson and Kameron Johnson have each stepped into larger roles, and Tez Johnson was a fringe fantasy starter as a big-play threat. The rookie from Oregon still has upside, but is very high-risk now that his chances will be few and far between.
The Bottom Line
If Mike Evans is active, hopefully we get some kind of idea how much work he will be able to handle. I’m still high enough on Emeka Egbuka to use him as a WR2 in standard-sized leagues, while Chris Godwin remains a deep-league FLEX option. Evans himself will be a boom-or-bust play with obvious upside since he’s such a proven option. If he’s a full go, it’ll be hard to leave him on the bench, knowing how excellent he can be and how heavily he is usually targeted.
Since this tilt with the Falcons is a stand-alone game, it’s available as a single-game Showdown contest on DraftKings, with many contests, headlined by the NFL Showdown $1.25M Thursday Night Showdown [$300K to 1st] (ATL @ TB). Evans has a high salary of $9,000 in a FLEX spot, while Egbuka’s is even higher at $9,200. Godwin’s is just behind him at $8,400. Of the three, Egbuka is my favorite play, with Evans as a GPP flier worth considering if it looks like he’s in line for a relatively full workload.
