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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 Chris Godwin is “finally looking like his old self,” per ESPN’s Jenna Laine. Here’s HC Todd Bowles: "Chris looks good, he's lean. ... I think he's finally healthy." Recall that Godwin suffered an ACL tear in December of 2021.
The Buccaneers selected Washington WR Jalen McMillan in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. McMillan functioned as Washington’s primary slot over the past two seasons, with 2022 turning up peak production (79-1,098-0). He hit 80 yards in seven of 13 games. McMillan even out-targeted Rome Odunze (118-110) with help from one extra game played. Last year, a left MCL sprain limited McMillan’s output. Still, he posted solid marks in yards per route run (2.30) and yards after catch per reception (6.4). Notably, his aDOT dropped to 9.6 – well below the 13.1 figure he posted in ‘22. Of course, catching balls from Round 1 QB Michael Penix Jr. helped. But the tape here shows a nice blend of route polish and athleticism. At the NFL Combine, McMillan registered a strong 9.33 Relative Athletic Score, highlighted by a 10’7” broad jump. The 6’1, 203-pounder could earn a starting role as soon as 2025 when Chris Godwin is due for free agency. For 2024, though, McMillan is only worth stashing in deep formats.
New Bucs OC Liam Coen said he'll get WR Chris Godwin back into the slot going forward. Godwin played just 37% of his snaps last season -- down from 63+% in each of the previous four years. Per The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud, the Bucs moved Godwin outside in order to preserve his health. Godwin has averaged 1.90 yards per route from the slot vs. 1.92 from the outside over the past five seasons, so there's not a major fantasy impact from this news.
Liam Coen is expected to be named the Bucs' new OC, according to NFL Network. Coen broke into the NFL coaching ranks as a Rams assistant under HC Sean McVay from 2018 to 2020. He headed to the college ranks in 2021 as Kentucky's OC, re-joined McVay as Rams OC in 2022, and then bounced back to Kentucky's OC job this past year. The most noteworthy aspect of this hire is that Coen spent the second half of that 2022 season with QB Baker Mayfield, who's scheduled to hit free agency next month. A return to Tampa Bay seems to make the most sense for both sides.
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 Chris Godwin led a muted passing day with 6 receptions and 51 yards in Sunday's 9-0 win over the Panthers. That victory clinched the division title and a playoff spot for Tampa Bay, and Godwin will be a decent option for playoff fantasy contests. He might be more attractive for dynasty this offseason, though. Godwin will turn just 28 in February and has one year remaining on his contract. That year carries a $27.5 million cap hit, which could motivate an extension this offseason to spread out the charges. Godwin enjoyed an effective season, which included his most yards per catch and deepest average target depth since 2020. He also stayed mostly healthy, missing no games. If teammate Mike Evans leaves in free agency, Godwin could see even more target share in 2024. And the question of what Tampa Bay does at QB figures to keep the WR's fantasy cost down. Consider giving him a look in dynasty trades this offseason. (Godwin currently sits higher in our dynasty WR rankings than he does in the KeepTradeCut rankings.) We'll see where Godwin settles in early best ball drafting.
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 WR Chris Godwin (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Packers. He was a full participant in Friday’s practice, but HC Todd Bowles labeled him a game-time decision. We haven’t heard anything about Godwin being limited today, but he still carries a bit more risk than usual in Week 15 fantasy lineups.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin (knee) is expected to play vs. the Packers today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. HC Todd Bowles labeled Godwin a game-time decision, but he was a full participant in Friday’s practice. It's tough to know what that means for Godwin's health today. Consider him a slightly riskier WR3 play than usual.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin (knee) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Packers. He was a full participant in Friday’s practice, but HC Todd Bowles labeled him a game-time decision. We’ll get Tampa Bay’s inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday. Godwin will carry elevated risk in fantasy lineups if he plays through the knee issue.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin (knee) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. It's officially time to worry about his availability for this weekend's game vs. the Packers. We'll see if Godwin practices on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. He seemed to make it out of last week's win fine, so we're guessing that this was more of a day off for the veteran. We'll see if Godwin gets back on the practice field tomorrow.
Buccaneers OC Dave Canales told reporters Thursday that he has to do a better job of getting the ball to WR Chris Godwin. That, of course, comes after Godwin went catchless on 3 targets in a narrow Week 13 victory over Carolina. HC Todd Bowles previously pointed to Godwin being banged up when asked about the WR's quiet day, but Godwin saw no decrease in playing time. Canales also said that Godwin did a good job of preparing himself for that game. The coach called Godwin "magic with the ball" and said he's "not satisfied with how we're using Chris in our offense." Canales indicated he needs to get more quick passes schemed to the veteran. Don't get overly excited this week about Godwin, who has 1 TD catch all year and is averaging his fewest receptions per game (4.4) since 2018, his second year in the league. But Godwin gets a rematch with Atlanta. He drew a season-high 12 targets in the first meeting and posted a 6-66 receiving line. Godwin looks like a WR3 option in PPR leagues for Week 14, with upside into WR2 range.
A reporter asked Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles on Monday if he was surprised that WR Chris Godwin didn't catch a pass in Sunday's win over the Panthers. Bowles blamed it on them "subbing him out a lot" and said he's "probably banged up more than most." Perhaps the neck injury that rendered Godwin questionable for the game limited his performance. But he still ran two more routes than Mike Evans and played 84% of offensive snaps, right in Godwin's usual range. We'll watch his practice participation this week. But the bigger limitation on Godwin's Week 14 projection will probably his lackluster recent production. Even before the receiving goose egg in Week 13, Godwin had averaged just 3.8 receptions and 38.5 yards over his previous four games. He's looking like a WR4 in PPR formats.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin (neck) is active for today’s game vs. the Panthers. Godwin was added to Thursday's injury report with the neck issue, did not practice on Friday, and was reportedly a game-time decision today. He carries elevated risk in Week 13 fantasy lineups but is available if you were waiting on him.
ESPN's Adam Schefter calls Bucs WR Chris Godwin (neck) "likely" to play vs. the Panthers today. "But the team needs to make sure he feels OK in pre-game warmups first," Schefter adds. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport had a similar report, saying Godwin "plans to play Sunday vs. Carolina as long as he wakes up feeling good." That's a 4:05 pm ET kickoff, so we won't get the Bucs' inactives until a little after 2:30. If you're hoping to use Godwin today, it'd be wise to have another late-game option rostered just in case Godwin ends up sitting.
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