The NFL season is in full swing. As happens every year, injuries are rearing their ugly heads. As fantasy football managers prepare to set Week 7 lineups, it’s important to stay informed on the latest injury news. Mike Evans returned to practice this week as he works his way back from a hamstring injury. What is his current status and outlook for this week?
Is Mike Evans Playing Week 7?
Evans originally sustained his hamstring strain during the fourth quarter of Tampa Bay’s Week 3 victory over the New York Jets. The injury happened while running a route when the 32-year-old receiver suddenly stopped and grabbed his left leg before limping to the sideline.​
His frustration was immediately visible as he threw his helmet and punched a cooler before heading to the locker room for evaluation. An MRI later confirmed a mild strain in his left hamstring, though the severity proved enough to sideline him for an extended period.​
Head coach Todd Bowles initially characterized the injury as a “hamstring tweak” following the Jets game. However, the recovery process has been more challenging than initially anticipated. Evans has already missed three complete games through the team’s Week 6 victory over San Francisco.​
Thursday brought the breakthrough that Buccaneers fans have been waiting for, as Evans returned to practice in a limited capacity for the first time since sustaining the injury. This marked the team’s first practice of the week, making his presence an extremely positive sign for his potential availability.​
Friday was a planned rest day for Evans, with FOX Sports’ Greg Auman reporting that his absence “is part of his weekly routine and doesn’t represent any kind of setback with his hamstring.”
Saturday brought continued progress as Evans got in a full practice session, maintaining his progression toward a potential Monday night return. The Bucs officially listed him as questionable for the contest, describing him as a gametime decision.​
According to Auman, “I think he’s done what they wanted him to do, but I doubt they’re so confident as to take him off the injury report entirely. The expectation is certainly that he’ll play”. This suggests the team is optimistic about his chances despite the questionable designation.
Evans Fantasy Football Outlook
Evans suffered what Todd Bowles labeled as a “low-grade” hamstring injury in Week 3, and while that sounds good, let’s not forget that this is a 32-year-old receiver who is in the process of seeing Emeka Egbuka replace him.
Obviously, not all hope is lost. Evans still has plenty of juice (27 targets earned in his three games) and when at full strength, he stands to slide into the back-end of my WR2 rankings, especially with Chris Godwin struggling to near full strength and Bucky Irving also battling to get on the field.
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There are some instances where a productive player goes down with an injury and I’ll encourage you to buy on a discount. Opportunities like this present themselves all the time as a fantasy manager is holding a distressed asset because of their standing in your league and is looking, for lack of a better way to say it, to make a bad deal. To take pennies now for a dollar in the future.
This isn’t that.
Evans missed three games a season ago, and these soft tissue injuries always come with aggravation risk. We haven’t seen the future Hall of Famer reach 60 receiving yards in a game this season, and I’m not sure that changes in a meaningful way when he returns to the field.
Assuming he sits this week, you’ll be able to free up a roster spot by using your IR, and that’s fine. Just be careful in assuming that you’re getting a difference-maker when he returns to your lineup.
— Kyle Soppe, PFSN Fantasy Analyst
