Wide receiver Chris Godwin was shaping up to be one of the best values in fantasy football last season. Then, he broke his ankle. This is the second time the start of Godwin’s season is in jeopardy due to a serious knee/ankle injury. Should fantasy managers take the injury discount on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR2 in 2025 fantasy drafts?
Should You Draft Chris Godwin in Fantasy?
Three years ago, Godwin was tracking to miss the season’s first month recovering from a torn ACL. He wound up making it back for Week 1, but strained his hamstring in what was likely a compensation injury. Godwin returned in Week 4, but didn’t get going until the second half of the season when he finally started to resemble his pre-injury self.
Once again, Godwin finds himself returning from a significant lower leg injury, this time a broken ankle. By all accounts, he should be ready to go when the season begins, but the risk of a slow start is real.
This is one of the many factors that make Godwin a difficult player to evaluate.
Aside from the injury concerns, or perhaps in addition to it, we have Godwin’s age. Twenty-nine is not necessarily old, but returning from a serious injury at 29 is more difficult than at 26.
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We also have the matter of Jalen McMillan’s breakout over the final five weeks of last season and the Bucs drafting Emeka Egbuka in the first round. If Godwin can’t get back to his pre-injury self and Egbuka shines, Godwin may not return to the same role.
With all that said, Godwin presents a tremendous value opportunity this season. His ADP is WR32, a hefty discount due to his injury and Egbuka.
As a reminder, Godwin was tearing it up before he got hurt last season. In seven games, Godwin was averaging 19.7 fantasy points per game, on pace for the best season of his career. He earned a 26.6% target share and averaged 2.35 yards per route run.
A big reason for Godwin’s massive improvement over the previous year, when he averaged 12.3 PPG, his lowest average since 2018, was his increased slot usage. In 2023, Godwin spent 32.1% of his time in the slot. In 2024, that shot up to 57.8%. This year, Godwin expects to continue predominantly operating out of the slot.
Chris Godwin expects to play primarily from the slot in 2025.
His slot/wide splits per @FantasyPtsData over the last two seasons:
Slot: 2.58 YPRR (~WR6), 0.58 FP/RR (~WR7)
Wide: 1.78 YPRR (~WR46), 0.36 FP/RR (~WR51)Godwin’s 16.1 Underdog FPG was 2nd-best among WRs last year. pic.twitter.com/xxG45wGPj9
— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) June 9, 2025
Baker Mayfield is playing like the guy the Browns thought they were getting when they selected him No. 1 overall in 2018. The Bucs also project to have a bad defense. They play in a division with multiple teams in domes and have a lot of potential shootouts on their schedule.
Injuries are going to happen. All of our fantasy teams will lose players, making it challenging to push the button on a player who is already hurt.
However, Godwin’s price is not prohibitively expensive. I have him ranked as my WR45, well below his WR35 ADP. However, with positive news about his recovery, both will rise over the month of August. But he’s still not practicing and has no timetable for a return as of the first week of August, making him very difficult to endorse.
Mason LeBeau’s Chris Godwin Fantasy Projection
We’re in “wait-and-see mode” with Chris Godwin. A sad and frustrating end to his 2024 season, Godwin was having an incredible year before an ankle dislocation disrupted fantasy managers’ seasons. He was not only outpacing Mike Evans, but was on track to challenge for a top-three WR finish. But he has yet to practice in camp, and now Emeka Egbuka will be in the race for targets.
It seems unlikely that Godwin will play much early, if at all. Instead, a mid-season return and slow ramp-up will likely be his path. While that means he’s an easy fade at the draft, both you and the Buccaneers should keep a close eye on him for the playoffs.
Tampa will want him for a postseason run, so getting him up to speed in December should be a priority. If your Godwin manager is struggling out of the gate, consider making a move for him and taking a chance on a cheap-but-talented piece of an efficient offense.
