The Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare for their critical Week 16 divisional matchup against the Carolina Panthers as they continue their push for a playoff spot. Mike Evans returned to action last week after missing six games with a broken collarbone. Will fantasy football managers have their star receiver available again this week?
Mike Evans Injury Update
A hamstring issue during Week 3 forced Evans to miss three consecutive games before he attempted a comeback. His return came during the team’s Week 7 Monday night showdown with Detroit at Ford Field. The comeback lasted less than a half as tragedy struck in the second quarter.​
A collision with Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin on a deep ball from Baker Mayfield resulted in a fractured collarbone for the six-time Pro Bowler. Evans landed shoulder-first before his head hit the turf, suffering the devastating injury. He underwent surgery to repair the fractured collarbone, with doctors projecting a 6-8 week recovery window.​
The Buccaneers opened Evans’ 21-day practice window on Wednesday ahead of Week 14. Evans got in three limited practices during Week 14. Nevertheless, head coach Todd Bowles ruled Evans out on Friday for Sunday’s game against New Orleans.​
Evans made his return last week after three limited practices. The veteran receiver suited up for Thursday night’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15. He played and finished the game without any setbacks from the broken collarbone.​
Evans opened this week with another limited practice on Wednesday. That triggers the fantasy platforms to put the little questionable tag next to his name, implying he is injured. He is not.​
It’s important to remember that Evans is 32 years old and has dealt with a medley of ailments this year. The team is going to be careful with him at practice likely the rest of the season.
Evans is not at any risk of missing Sunday’s game. The Bucs need him on the field as they fight to secure a playoff berth in the competitive NFC South. Tampa Bay is gradually getting healthier at the skill positions, and Evans is a crucial part of their offensive arsenal. He is going to play.
Evans’ Fantasy Outlook
I’d argue that Mike Evans was the most actionable takeaway from Thursday night.
Yes, more actionable than Kyle Pitts single-handedly swinging your playoff quarterfinal matchup.
Pitts was a fantasy starter in good form entering his earth shattering game and he’s a fantasy starter coming out of it. Of course, you’re playing him with more confidence this week than last, but the actionable shift is minimal.
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Evans took the field for the first time in nearly two months, looked like he was at risk on every snap physically, and yet he finished with a 6-132-0 stat line against the Falcons.
It didn’t happen by accident. Evans saw a 44.4% target share in the first half (his highest in the first 30 minutes in a regular season game since Week 6 of 2019) and it was clear that the Bucs identified CB Cobee Bryant as a pressure point that they wanted to attack as often as humanly possible, even if it meant weighing down their veteran receiver with vulnerable targets coming off of the broken collarbone.
Week 15 WR Snaps/Routes/Targets
Chris Godwin: 58 / 38 / 5
Evans: 31 / 28 / 12
Emeka Egbuka: 39 / 25 / 7
Jalen McMillan: 30 / 20 / 2
Tez Johnson: 14 / 9 / 1
He wasn’t out there on run plays where he was taking unnecessary shots. The Bucs were thoughtful in his snaps and wanted to use their bullets in a meaningful way: that’s all we can really ask for.
The loss last week was a tough result, but if Tampa Bay can sweep Carolina over the next three weeks, they’ll have a home playoff game. That makes this a playoff game and based on what we saw last week, Evans is going to be a prominent part of the game plan.
He’s earned at least eight targets in all of his healthy games this season and it’s hard to project anything different to take place this week (8+ catches, 95+ yards, and 1+ touchdowns in both Panther games last season). I expect Carolina to allocate more resources to covering the future hall of famer than the Falcons did last week with his health unknown and that introduces some downside, but he’s a WR2 across all formats.
— PFSN Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe
