Fantasy Football News

The Buccaneers are dealing with multiple injuries at WR this week. That included Jalen McMillan, Chris Godwin, and Emeka Egbuka all sitting out Tuesday night's indoor practice. Tez Johnson left that workout early with a lower-body injury, according to the team website.

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield revealed on Netflix's Quarterback documentary that he sprained his MCL and PCL in Week 2 last year. Mayfield didn't miss any time with those injuries and didn't appear on the injury report with a knee until Week 5. He also dealt with a right biceps injury early last season and sprained the AC joint in his left shoulder near halftime of Week 12. He missed the second half of that game but returned the following week.

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin was rarely, if ever, healthy last season. He missed the first three games working back from the serious ankle injury that ended his 2024 campaign. Then he made it just two games before a fibula injury knocked him out for the next five. He was mostly quiet over the final seven games of the season, although he did pop for a 7-108-1 line in Week 17. Godwin avoided any further setbacks, though, and has been able to spend this offseason working on his game, rather than rehabbing. "Anytime you have the ability to train for performance and not for recovery, it’s a huge difference," he said recently.

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles said Wednesday morning that WR Mike Evans (collarbone) has shown everything he's needed to show in practice to be activated for Thursday night's game vs. the Falcons. We'll see how he's listed on the final injury report later today, but we're now projecting Evans to play in this one. OC Josh Grizzard said last week that Evans would likely be on a snap count in his first game back, so don't expect his usual level of playing time against Atlanta. That said, we'd expect to see him on the field in high-leverage situations, particularly near the end zone. You'd ideally wait a week before getting Evans back in fantasy lineups, but he's at least in the WR3/4 mix based on his TD upside. Consider Evans' return a slight ding to WR Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin's outlooks.

Buccaneers WRs Mike Evans (collarbone) and Jalen McMillan (neck) will be designated to return from IR and practice on Wednesday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Evans has been out since breaking his collarbone in Week 7; McMillan since a mid-August neck injury. It's still unclear whether either guy will be ready to play vs. the Saints on Sunday, but we'd at least expect them back by Week 15.

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield (shoulder) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Cardinals. He was a full participant in practice on Friday, though, and HC Todd Bowles said Mayfield is trending toward playing. His left shoulder injury is a pain-management issue and won’t impact his passing. But it could make him hesitant to run. And there’s risk of re-injury if Mayfield takes a hit to or falls on that shoulder. He’d be a shaky Week 13 fantasy start. But Mayfield's availability is good news for WR Emeka Egbuka and the rest of Tampa Bay's skill-position players.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka returned from a Week 6 hamstring injury and played 53 of Tampa's 68 snaps in their Monday Night loss to the Lions. Egbuka led the team with 12 targets and ranked second with 58 receiving yards. Most importantly, Egbuka emerged from the game healthy and will be counted on to be Tampa's No. 1 WR after Mike Evans broke his collarbone. Evans is slated to miss significant time.

Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) will play vs. the Lions tonight, according to multiple reports. Egbuka suffered a hamstring injury just eight days ago, but he returned to a limited practice on Saturday and got the green light after going through a workout tonight. There's still elevated risk here that Egbuka is on a snap count and/or suffers a setback. That has him much lower than usual in the Week 7 WR rankings. But Egbuka is available if you were waiting on him.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka will head for more testing Tuesday "to determine how much time he will miss" following the hamstring injury that knocked him out of Sunday's win over the 49ers.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport expects WR Emeka Egbuka to "miss some time" with the hamstring injury he suffered in the Week 6 win over the 49ers. The rookie is scheduled for an MRI on Monday. "Does not seem like it's that serious," Rapoport adds. Consider Egbuka unlikely to play vs. the Lions this weekend. Tampa Bay then gets the Saints in Week 8 before a Week 9 bye, so it's possible that we don't see Egbuka again until Week 10. Rapoport adds that WR Mike Evans is "nearing a return" from his hamstring injury, while WR Chris Godwin is "week-to-week" with his fibula injury. We'll see if Evans can make it back for the Lions game. If not, the Bucs will be down to Tez Johnson, Kameron Johnson, and Sterling Shepard as their top three WRs.

Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka is doubtful to return to Sunday's game vs. the 49ers due to a hamstring injury. It's unclear when the injury occurred, but Egbuka is likely done for the day with 2 catches for 24 scoreless yards. We'll update his status when we know more.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Tampa Bay WR Chris Godwin is not expected to play in Week 6. Godwin popped up on the injury report and did not practice this week with a fibula injury. He missed the first three games of the season recovering from a fractured ankle that also cost him half of the 2024 season.

Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka is expected to play Sunday against the Jets, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The rookie is dealing with hip and groin injuries that kept him out of practice Wednesday and Thursday before a limited return Friday. That could still limit his playing time some vs. the Jets. We'll watch for signals on his role ahead of the game and adjust Egbuka's projections as needed.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin is expected to practice today for the first time since last year's ankle injury, which ended his season early and required a pair of surgeries. This lines up with the team's expectations heading into the season and is expected to return Godwin to game action for Week 5 or 6.