The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Carolina Panthers in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Mike Evans.
Is Mike Evans Playing in Week 13?
Updated at 2:35 PM ET on Sunday, December 1
Evans is active for today's game.
Evans (hamstring) — who returned from a three-game injury absence in Week 12 — fully practiced before receiving a limited day on Friday. He did not carry any injury designation on the final Week 13 report, so he’s good to go.
We’ll continue to monitor the Buccaneers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Mike Evans in Week 13?
Mike Evans was back on the field for the Bucs and immediately led the team in targets (six) and receiving yards (68) in the one-sided win over the Giants.
Was there some hesitation from Tampa Bay to fully unleash him? He posted a 10.8 aDOT in his return after missing over a month (four games prior: 13.8), something that I have on my notepad as something to watch, but not something that I’m yet reacting to, understanding that he could be ramping up to the role we’ve come to know and love.
This is as good a spot as any for the Bucs to return their WR1 to his field-stretching role – the Panthers rank 26th or worst against the deep pass in terms of completion percentage, yards per attempt, and touchdown rate.
Sportsbooks are projecting Tampa Bay for north of 25 points in this game. I don’t trust any other pass catcher in this offense, so Evans slots in as a WR1 in my Week 13 rankings.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Mike Evans’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Evans is projected to score 17.3 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.1 receptions for 73.2 yards and 0.8 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Panthers' Defense
It was another tough week for the Carolina Panthers defense, but it was always likely to be with the Chiefs coming to town. They ended up ranking 23rd, which is their eighth time in 11 games ranking outside the top 20. They had been performing better coming into this week, but it is still not enough to lift them out of last place.
The Panthers are not above average in our database in any statistical category. They are particularly bad against the run and on third downs, ranking in the bottom 10th percentile of the database. Carolina's best feature has been its red-zone defense, but that is little solace when it is posting frightening numbers on a points-per-drive basis.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Mike Evans’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (at BAL)
2) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. ARI)
3) Nico Collins | HOU (at JAX)
4) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. PIT)
5) Puka Nacua | LAR (at NO)
6) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. CHI)
7) George Pickens | PIT (at CIN)
8) Mike Evans | TB (at CAR)
9) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at GB)
10) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (vs. NYG)
11) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. TEN)
12) Cooper Kupp | LAR (at NO)
13) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. PIT)
14) Drake London | ATL (vs. LAC)
15) Malik Nabers | NYG (at DAL)
16) Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs. CLE)
17) DK Metcalf | SEA (at NYJ)
18) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. SF)
19) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at WAS)
20) Zay Flowers | BAL (vs. PHI)
21) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at NYJ)
22) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at ATL)
23) Jayden Reed | GB (vs. MIA)
24) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. CHI)
25) Jauan Jennings | SF (at BUF)
26) Davante Adams | NYJ (vs. SEA)
27) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (at BUF)
28) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at GB)
29) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs. SEA)
30) DeVonta Smith | PHI (at BAL)
31) Darnell Mooney | ATL (vs. LAC)
32) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. SF)
33) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NE)
34) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at MIN)
35) Tank Dell | HOU (at JAX)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. LV)
37) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at KC)
38) DJ Moore | CHI (at DET)
39) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. LV)
40) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. HOU)
41) Keenan Allen | CHI (at DET)
42) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. ARI)
43) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at ATL)
44) Rome Odunze | CHI (at DET)
45) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (at DEN)
46) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (at DAL)
47) Elijah Moore | CLE (at DEN)
48) Christian Watson | GB (vs. MIA)
49) Noah Brown | WAS (vs. TEN)
50) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. SF)
51) Xavier Legette | CAR (vs. TB)
52) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. IND)
53) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at WAS)
54) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. SF)
55) Adam Thielen | CAR (vs. TB)
56) Brandin Cooks | DAL (vs. NYG)
57) Ricky Pearsall | SF (at BUF)
58) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. IND)
59) Alec Pierce | IND (at NE)
60) Devaughn Vele | DEN (vs. CLE)
61) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (vs. LAC)
62) Darius Slayton | NYG (at DAL)
63) Rashod Bateman | BAL (vs. PHI)
64) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (vs. NYG)
65) Mike Williams | PIT (at CIN)
66) Jalen McMillan | TB (at CAR)
67) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at ATL)
68) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at NYJ)
69) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. LV)
70) Michael Wilson | ARI (at MIN)
71) Tre Tucker | LV (at KC)
72) Van Jefferson | PIT (at CIN)
73) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (at NO)
74) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. HOU)
75) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. IND)
76) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. SF)
77) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NE)
78) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at WAS)
79) Calvin Austin III | PIT (at CIN)
80) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (vs. MIA)
81) Justin Watson | KC (vs. LV)
82) Diontae Johnson | BAL (vs. PHI)
83) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (vs. NYG)
84) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs. CLE)
85) Lil'Jordan Humphrey | DEN (vs. CLE)
86) John Metchie III | HOU (at JAX)
87) Ja'Lynn Polk | NE (vs. IND)
88) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. ARI)
89) Troy Franklin | DEN (vs. CLE)
90) Odell Beckham Jr. | MIA (at GB)
91) Kalif Raymond | DET (vs. CHI)
92) Tim Patrick | DET (vs. CHI)
93) Jahan Dotson | PHI (at BAL)
94) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. TEN)
95) Malik Washington | MIA (at GB)
96) Nelson Agholor | BAL (vs. PHI)
97) Bo Melton | GB (vs. MIA)
98) Tylan Wallace | BAL (vs. PHI)
99) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (vs. TEN)
100) Mecole Hardman Jr. | KC (vs. LV)
101) Tutu Atwell | LAR (at NO)
102) Jalen Brooks | DAL (vs. NYG)
103) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. TEN)
104) Xavier Hutchinson | HOU (at JAX)
105) DJ Turner | LV (at KC)
106) Tyler Johnson | LAR (at NO)
107) Robert Woods | HOU (at JAX)
108) Jalen Reagor | LAC (at ATL)
109) Jake Bobo | SEA (at NYJ)
110) Jordan Whittington | LAR (at NO)
111) Greg Dortch | ARI (at MIN)
112) Jonathan Mingo | DAL (vs. NYG)
113) Sterling Shepard | TB (at CAR)
114) Parris Campbell | PHI (at BAL)
115) Trey Palmer | TB (at CAR)
116) DeAndre Carter | CHI (at DET)
117) Laviska Shenault Jr. | SEA (at NYJ)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers Trends
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Team: Tampa Bay closed last regular season by winning five of six games, a run they might need to replicate this year to make the playoffs.
QB: Baker Mayfield completed five of six deep passes on Sunday against the Giants with Mike Evans back in the mix. He completed five-of-17 such attempts in the three games prior.
Offense: The Bucs have scored a touchdown on 12-of-15 red zone drives over their past four games (80%).
Defense: In Week 12 against the Giants, the Bucs allowed seven points on 10 drives (0.7 points per drive). In their four games prior, 3.1 points were allowed per drive.
Fantasy: Rookie running backs over the past decade to have multiple games with at least 40 rushing yards and six receptions: Alvin Kamara (five), Saquon Barkley (four), Najee Harris (three), James Robinson (two), Bijan Robinson (two), and Bucky Irving (two).
Betting: After six straight overs, consecutive Tampa Bay games have checked in under the closing total.
Carolina Panthers
Team: Carolina has played three straight games decided by three or fewer points (their first eight games this season were all decided by double digits).
QB: Bryce Young averaged 7.5 yards per pass against Kansas City, his best showing in a start since Week 16 of last season (vs. Packers).
Offense: The Panthers averaged 44.6 yards per drive against the Chiefs, 23.9% better than in any other game this season.
Defense: Over their past three games, Carolina has allowed a touchdown on just five-of-12 (41.7%) of red zone trips (NFL average: 56.7%).
Fantasy: Until the usage changes, there’s no reason to hesitate in playing Chuba Hubbard – he’s cleared 18.5 expected fantasy points in three straight games, his second such streak of the season.
Betting: Over their past seven Week 13 games, the Panthers are 1-6 ATS with overs going 6-1.