Week 9 of NFL action concludes with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Monday Night Football.” Both teams are heavily banged up heading into this contest, especially at the wide receiver position. Here’s a look at the latest injury news and information ahead of Monday night’s game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs Inactives
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Designated as Out
- TE Devin Culp
- WR Mike Evans
- DT Greg Gaines
- LB Antonio Grier
- WR Jalen McMillan
- OG Royce Newman
- LB Jose Ramirez
Kansas City Chiefs Designated as Out
- DE Mike Danna
- OT Ethan Driskell
- RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- OG C.J. Hanson
- CB Nazeeh Johnson
- WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
- DT Marlon Tuipulotu
Latest Injury Report News and Updates
The biggest issue facing the Bucs is the depth at WR. Chris Godwin was lost for the season two weeks ago. In that same game, Mike Evans aggravated a preexisting hamstring strain that is expected to sideline him until after the team’s Week 11 bye.
Mike Evans – Likely re-aggravated hamstring. Video looks severe.
Lean towards multi-week absence#Buccaneers
— Deepak Chona, MD. SportsMedAnalytics (@SportMDAnalysis) October 22, 2024
With Evans and Godwin out, rookie Jalen McMillan will have to step up into a larger role. Trey Palmer has been playing on the outside as well, with Sterling Shepard in the slot. However, McMillan and Shepard are both dealing with hamstring strains of their own and are questionable for Monday night.
Bucs’ outstanding rookie RB Bucky Irving is also on the injury report. He’s currently dealing with a toe injury that head coach Todd Bowles said will have to be managed for the rest of the season. Irving will try to play through the injury, but his practice reps will be limited to keep him fresh.
On the defensive side of the ball, Bucs CB Jamel Dean remains on IR. Nickel CB Tykee Smith missed last week with a concussion but is trending in the right direction for Monday night. S Antoine Winfield Jr. suffered a foot injury at Friday’s practice and then did not practice on Saturday. He is listed as questionable, but is trending in the wrong direction.
As for the Chiefs, they are facing their own issues at wide receiver as well. Hollywood Brown didn’t make it past the first preseason game without being lost for the season. Rashee Rice went down in Week 4. JuJu Smith-Schuster, who stepped up after Rice got hurt, has essentially missed the last two games with a strained hamstring and is trending toward sitting out this week once again.
Recently acquired DeAndre Hopkins should see a larger role alongside Xavier Worthy as the team’s top two receivers. Aside from wide receiver, the Chiefs are pretty healthy. The only other meaningful absence from practice has been CB Nazeeh Johnson, who is in the concussion protocol.
Projected Starting Lineups for Each Team
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Projected Starters
The projected starting lineup is based on the Bucs’ current depth chart.
- Quarterback: Baker Mayfield
- Running Back: Rachaad White
- Wide Receiver: Trey Palmer, Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard
- Tight End: Cade Otton
- Left Offensive Tackle: Tristan Wirfs
- Left Offensive Guard: Ben Bredeson
- Center: Graham Barton
- Right Offensive Guard: Cody Mauch
- Right Offensive Tackle: Luke Goedeke
- Defensive End: Logan Hall
- Nose Tackle: Vita Vea
- Defensive Tackle: Calijah Kancey
- Weak Side Linebacker: YaYa Diaby
- Left Inside Linebacker: K.J. Britt
- Right Inside Linebacker: Lavonte David
- Right Outside Linebacker: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
- Left Cornerback: Tyrek Funderburk
- Right Cornerback: Zyon McCollum
- Free Safety: Antoine Winfield Jr.
- Strong Safety: Jordan Whitehead
- Kicker: Chase McLaughlin
- Punter: Trenton Gill
- Long Snapper: Zach Triner
Kansas City Chiefs Projected Starters
The projected starting lineup is based on the Chiefs’ current depth chart.
- Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes
- Running Back: Kareem Hunt
- Wide Receiver: DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Tight End: Travis Kelce
- Left Offensive Tackle: Wanya Morris
- Left Offensive Guard: Joe Thuney
- Center: Creed Humphrey
- Right Offensive Guard: Trey Smith
- Right Offensive Tackle: Jawaan Taylor
- Right Defensive End: Joshua Uche
- Left Defensive End: George Karlaftis
- Right Defensive Tackle: Chris Jones
- Left Defensive Tackle: Derrick Nnadi
- Weak Side Linebacker: Jack Cochrane
- Middle Linebacker: Nick Bolton
- Strong Side Linebacker: Leo Chenal
- Left Cornerback: Trent McDuffie
- Right Cornerback: Keith Taylor Jr.
- Free Safety: Bryan Cook
- Strong Safety: Justin Reed
- Kicker: Harrison Butker
- Punter: Matt Araiza
- Long Snapper: James Winchester