Chris Godwin Injury Update: Is he playing today?

Fantasy football managers and Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans alike have all been wondering if Chris Godwin is going to play tonight in their Sunday Night Football matchup against the New Orleans Saints. That question might finally have an answer as 2019’s breakout WR has recently gotten some positive news about the finger that he broke during their Week 7 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. If he does play, how effective will he be in an offense with Mike Evans and now Antonio Brown fighting for targets? Will his finger injury negatively impact his potential fantasy outlook?

Is Chris Godwin playing tonight during Sunday Night Football?

Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians came out early Sunday morning to quell any fears that fantasy managers have. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Arians expects Godwin to be on the field for their divisional matchup against the Saints.

Staying healthy has been difficult for Godwin in 2020. So far this year, he has only played in four of the Bucs eight games. Last week, he missed their Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants because of the above-mentioned finger injury.

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It is somewhat surprising that he will be back for this game considering Godwin underwent surgery to repair his fractured index finger just last week. Over the weekend, Godwin was even seen walking around with a substantial cast covering the fractured finger. When asked about any concern for a potential reaggravation of the injury, Arians did not seem to be phased by the idea.

“I think we’re past any kind of infection or anything like that,” Arians said. “If there was any jeopardy at all, we would not let him play. He’s been cleared, so we’ll just see how the pain tolerance goes and see how sore he is tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure he’ll go.”

Well, it seems like the pain tolerance went well, and Godwin will be back on the football field a mere week after surgery. We already know what Godwin brings to the table when he is healthy; the question now is what kind of impact will this have on his fantasy potential?

What is Chris Godwin’s fantasy outlook against the New Orleans Saints?

In his last game, Godwin caught all nine of his targets for 88 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown was only his second of the year.

In 2019, Godwin made the Pro Bowl after a breakout season with former Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston. That year, Godwin totaled 86 receptions for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns. However, he only missed two games in 2019, a number he has already doubled through eight weeks in 2020.

Fantasy football managers shouldn’t be too concerned; even in his limited time on the field, Godwin has 25 catches for 279 yards. The original fears of having a new QB like Tom Brady join the team after Godwin’s breakout season have subsided. Even though Brady isn’t as capable of throwing a deep ball as well or as often as Winston, he has been efficient and able to put the ball in more catchable situations for Godwin.

So, with Chris Godwin playing tonight, let’s look at the matchup against New Orleans. Using our Defensive Points Allowed Consistency Score, we can easily see which defensive matchups are the ones you want to target for your skill positions when making roster decisions.

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The Saints defense currently ranks 10th in consistency score in standard formats and 15th in PPR. They are averaging a total of 27.83 standard points and 39.83 PPR points per game. Although not as elite as they have been in the past few years, teams have not found very much success when throwing the ball on this defense. They have, however, allowed the seventh-most touchdowns to the WR position, including the two to Tampa in Week 1.

Way back in Week 1 of the NFL season, these two teams faced off in their season openers. The Saints were able to come away with the victory 34-23, with Godwin having six receptions for 79 yards. While not the most impressive performance, Brady clearly struggled in his first game with this offense. Fast forward seven weeks later, and Brady has put up two games with over 350 passing yards, one game with five touchdown passes, and another with four.

When we look at Godwin’s Fantasy Points Differential, which allows us to examine how a player performs in any given year based on his opportunities, Godwin has still been able to perform with a new QB and hampered with injuries. He is currently WR16 on the year.

So far in 2020, even against a decent Saints secondary, Godwin has proven that he can still perform. However, there is one new variable to the equation that we didn’t consider the first time these two teams faced, Antonio Brown.

Will Antonio Brown impact Chris Godwin’s fantasy potential?

There was a similar narrative when Brady signed with Tampa Bay, with some people concerned for Godwin considering the number of weapons on the team. However, Godwin has continued to strive nonetheless. He currently leads the Buccaneers with 7.25 targets and 69.8 yards per game.

We won’t know what Antonio Brown’s presence will do just yet, but Godwin has cemented himself as one of Brady’s favorite targets when he is on the field. Yes, a lot has been made about Brady and Brown living together while Brown gets acclimated to Florida, but ultimately, the embattled WR hasn’t seen the field in nearly a year. It will take time for the chemistry to return, just like it took time for Brady to build chemistry with Godwin and Evans.

Godwin might start to see fewer snap counts as Brown gets more comfortable, but it will likely be weapons like Scotty Miller that will be the most impacted.

Godwin should still remain WR1 on a team that loves to throw the ball. Brown’s presence could even have a positive impact on Godwin, adding just another weapon for defenses to try and stop. Either way, when healthy, Chris Godwin’s fantasy outlook shouldn’t really be questioned.

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