Fantasy Football News

49ers WR Mike Evans missed Monday's practice with a quad strain, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. San Francisco already lost WR Ricky Pearsall for the season, and WR De'Zhaun Stribling (hamstring), WR Christian Kirk (calf), RB Kaelon Black (adductor), and RB Jordan James (rib) are also currently sidelined.

Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls Evans' injury "very minor."

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans played on Thursday night for the first time and since Week 7 and looked like, well, Mike Evans. He worked downfield most of the night and made numerous tough, contested grabs. Evans finished with 12 targets, six catches, and 132 yards -- all team highs. He had two red-zone targets, with the first falling incomplete on a fade from Atlanta's one-yard line and the second drawing a 10-yard pass interference penalty on CB A.J. Terrell. Evans took a few big hits in this one and left at one point to be evaluated for what looked like a right shoulder injury. But he quickly returned and finished out the game.

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.

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.

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 Mike Evans suffered a concussion and shoulder injury in the second quarter of Monday night's game vs. the Lions and will not return. The concussion will likely cost him Week 8. Tampa Bay has a Week 9 bye, but we'll have to see about the shoulder injury. Evans had just returned from a three-week absence due to a hamstring injury and finished this game catch-less on four targets.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (hamstring) is active for tonight's game vs. the Lions. He comes with more risk than usual in his first action since Week 3. But there's also plenty of upside here in a potential shootout against an injury-riddled Detroit secondary.

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.

NFL Network and ESPN report that Buccaneers WR Mike Evans is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with his hamstring injury. "The injury is not considered as bad as last year’s and Evans plans to work to get back as soon as possible, possibly beating the timeline," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote. Fantasy owners should expect to be without Evans for at least the next two weeks against the Eagles and Seahawks. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 6's meeting with the 49ers. Tampa Bay's bye isn't until Week 9. Evans is worth hanging on to in the vast majority of fantasy leagues.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans suffered a hamstring injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Jets and will not return. Evans has a long history of hamstring trouble: Seven different documented injuries, including one last year that cost him three games. We'll see how much time this latest injury costs him.

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.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (hamstring) is not listed on the final Week 15 injury report. He only got in a limited practice on Friday but is evidently in no danger of missing this weekend’s game vs. the Chargers. We’ll keep an eye out for any additional reports on Evans’ hamstring, but he can stay in fantasy lineups for now.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (hamstring, calf) is not listed on the final Week 14 injury report. He only got in a limited practice on Friday but is evidently in no danger of missing Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders. We’ll keep an eye out for any further updates on Evans’ status. But, as of now, consider him a WR1 in fantasy lineups.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (hamstring, calf) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. We don't have any additional info on these injuries, but Evans' status for this weekend's game vs. the Raiders is seemingly up in the air. We'll see if he practices on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (hamstring, calf) did not practice on Wednesday. It could be an early-week rest day. But Evans was a full participant all three days last week -- and had a calf added to this week's injury report. Check back tomorrow for another update on his status for Sunday's game vs. the Raiders.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans returned from his hamstring injury but only caught five of six targets for 68 yards. The Bucs did most of their damage on the ground in this game, so expect better numbers moving forward.