Fantasy Football News

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler hears that the Buccaneers are "thinking late-November or December" for WR Chris Godwin's return from his fibula injury. Tampa gets the Rams in Week 12 on November 23, the Cardinals in Week 13 on November 30, and the Saints in Week 14 on December 7. It sounds like Godwin is targeting a return sometime during that stretch. It'll be at least a week beyond his return before we could trust him in fantasy lineups. And we're skeptical that Godwin will be back to 100% at any point this season. He's not a must-hold in shallower fantasy leagues. WR Tez Johnson and TE Cade Otton will continue to play expanded roles in the short term. WR Mike Evans (collarbone) isn't likely to be back until Week 14 at the earliest.

Buccaneers TE Cade Otton (groin) is not listed on the final Week 1 injury report after putting in full practices on Thursday and Friday. He has elevated target upside with WRs Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan out for this weekend’s game vs. the Falcons. Still, Otton checks in well outside the top-12 in our Week 1 TE Rankings.

Buccaneers TE Cade Otton (groin) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. He missed time in August with hamstring trouble and is now dealing with a groin injury. Otton has a chance to play a significant role in a Bucs passing game missing WRs Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan. But he'll be tough to trust in Week 1 fantasy lineups unless he gets in a full practice on Thursday and/or Friday.

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles shared that TE Cade Otton is dealing with a leg injury in addition to the hamstring injury that already was keeping Otton sidelined. Bowles commented that Otton would be “out for a bit” and that he doesn’t know if the injury will bleed into Week 1.

Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan is expected to miss the start of the season after suffering a "severely strained neck" in the second preseason game, according to HC Todd Bowles. Bowles added that the injury "shouldn't be" career threatening. We'll look for a more concrete timeline for McMillan's return.

Update: McMillan will be placed on IR and "could be out past the Bucs Week 9 bye week," according to The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud.

Buccaneer TE Cade Otton missed his third practice in a row with a "mild" hamstring injury. HC Todd Bowles mentioned that he tweaked his hamstring early on in camp, but all indications are that it shouldn't linger into the regular season.

Bucs WR Mike Evans is expected to miss the next three games with his hamstring injury, HC Todd Bowles said. Tampa Bay gets the Falcons, Chiefs, and 49ers the next three weeks before a Week 11 bye. It sounds like Evans has a good chance to be back for Week 12.

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin suffered a significant left leg injury late in Monday night's loss to the Ravens. He left the field on a cart with an air cast on the bottom half of his leg, and ESPN declined to show replay of the injury (because of the severity). This sure seems likely to end Godwin's season.

Update: HC Todd Bowles said after the game that early indication is a dislocated ankle and that it "doesn't look good," NFL Network reports.

Buccaneers TE Cade Otton caught six passes for 52 yards in Sunday's win over the Eagles. His 9 targets matched WR Chris Godwin for second on the team. That followed a 7-47 receiving day for Otton in the Week 3 loss to the Broncos. QB Baker Mayfield attempted 47 passes against Philadelphia, his most in any game since joining the Bucs and tied for the second-most in a game for Mayfield's career. That came despite Tampa Bay jumping out to 24-0 lead by the middle of the second quarter. In short, Otton benefited from atypical passing volume. He would need a more permanent shift on that front to support weekly fantasy viability. I'm staying skeptical on Otton as a real lineup option for now. That said, injuries to WRs Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer that leave them unlikely to play Thursday make Otton worth a look for Week 5 -- especially with four teams on bye.

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.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler confirms that Bucs WR Russell Gage will miss the entire 2023 season with the knee injury he suffered in Wednesday's practice. Gage was locked into Tampa's No. 3 WR job before this injury. The Bucs are now left with WRs Trey Palmer, Deven Thompkins, David Moore, and Rakim Jarrett to battle for that job. Palmer is an intriguing rookie and might be worth a look near the very end of best-ball drafts. Gage's injury should mean extra targets for WR Chris Godwin, WR Mike Evans, RB Rachaad White, and TE Cade Otton. We've adjusted all the Bucs in the 2023 fantasy football rankings.

Update: Gage suffered a ruptured right patellar tendon.

Buccaneers TE Cade Otton (quadriceps) practiced in full again on Friday and doesn't carry an injury designation for Week 17 vs. the Panthers. At first glance, Otton's 23 targets (8th-highest among TEs) since Week 13 pique some fantasy interest. Digging a little deeper, you'll find the rookie ranks 26th in target share (11.9%) with a mere 9.2% air yards share in that span. Otton is a decent speculative albeit unreliable TE streamer in Week 17 on raw volume alone, but that's about it.

Buccaneers TE Cade Otton (quadriceps) did not practice on Wednesday. We'll continue to track the rookie's status for Week 17 vs. the Panthers as the week evolves. Check back in tomorrow for updates.

Bucs TE Cameron Brate (illness) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report. He’ll be back for Sunday’s game vs. the 49ers. Brate isn’t a fantasy option, but his return knocks TE Cade Otton out of consideration.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles said after Sunday's loss to the Steelers that TE Cameron Brate has a neck injury. He made no mention of a concussion, so it sounds like Brate at least escaped that. We should learn more about his status on Monday. Rookie Cade Otton will be in the low-end TE1 mix if Brate misses time.

Bucs TE Cameron Brate (concussion) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final Week 6 injury report. He’ll be back for Sunday’s game vs. the Steelers. We’ll see how routes and targets are divvied between Brate and TE Cade Otton, but neither guy is a bankable Week 6 fantasy play.