There are many teams that are still fighting for their playoff lives in the NFL as we enter the final day of the regular season.
One of those teams is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who would win the NFC South with a win against the Carolina Panthers. The wide receiver duo of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans has been a big reason why the team is even in the playoff race.
They have been great all year, but are they both must-start options in fantasy football this week?
Should You Start Mike Evans in Fantasy This Week?
Evans has been outstanding this year for the Buccaneers, as he has 76 catches for 1,233 yards and 13 touchdowns. The scores are the most by any receiver, and a reason he is an absolute must to play in this game.
He has also had a ton of success historically against the Panthers. In their prior matchup this season, Evans had one of his best games of the year. He had seven catches for 162 yards and a score, including a 75-yard touchdown.
It is not just a one-year thing either, as he had a prior tally of games of 96 yards against Carolina, as well as one of 207 yards and three touchdowns.
This is a perfect matchup for Evans, as he has dominated the Panthers. I think Evans has a chance to be the overall WR1 this week, as Baker Mayfield is going to go to him as often as he can.
Should You Start Chris Godwin in Fantasy This Week?
Like Evans, Godwin has had a very good year for the Buccaneers. He has 77 catches for 973 yards, however, the veteran WR only has two touchdowns on the season. One of those scores was last week in the loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Godwin played in only the most recent matchup against the Panthers, but he didn’t have a catch. The biggest issue for Godwin this year in fantasy is obviously the fact that he has only two touchdowns, as the catches and yards are both in the top 26 in the NFL.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
He isn’t a WR1 at this point in the fantasy rankings, but you can definitely do far worse than him at your WR2 spot. He has been targeted 123 times this year, which is nearly eight times a game.
I could absolutely see Godwin having a productive week as well. With how dominant Evans has been against the Panthers recently, you can expect they are going to make him a priority in their defensive game plan. This could open up one-on-one matchups on the outside for Godwin, and if he could see 10+ targets again, he could be knocking on the door of a top-10 WR.
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Evans is the player to start. His projected 16.9 points include a projection of six receptions and 84 yards. That is a pretty good game for Evans, but Godwin is also projected to have a solid game with 13.6 points.
I think both of these guys have the potential for a big outing, but it is hard to go against Evans with how dominant he has been historically against the Panthers. Don’t be surprised if both players are flirting with 100 yards receiving when it’s all said and done.
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