Bucs "optimistic" on Godwin & Jones

ESPN's Adam Schefter hears that the Bucs are "optimistic" that WRs Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) will be able to play vs. the Chiefs tonight. "But Tampa Bay wants to test both pregame to make sure," Schefter adds. We won't get the Bucs' inactives until around 7 pm ET, and Godwin and Jones will both carry elevated risk if they are active. So we'd try to keep them on fantasy benches this week. This news makes WR Russell Gage a shakier Week 4 fantasy play but helps QB Tom Brady.

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.

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.