Injuries continue to mount throughout the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a slew of fantasy football-relevant players, with their two main options (as well as their RB2) all dealing with injuries. What do we know about these injured Bucs? Should fantasy managers be preparing alternatives?
Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After doing his usual thing in Week 1 — catching five passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns — Evans has fallen off the past two weeks. He’s failed to reach his Week 1 line in Weeks 2 and 3 combined. And now, he’s dealing with a knee issue.
Fortunately, this doesn’t appear to be anything worrisome. Head coach Todd Bowles was focused more on speaking about getting Evans more involved.
Todd Bowles yesterday on Mike Evans: “We’ve got to get him involved more.” He has 15 targets in three games — that's a 38 percent drop from his targets last year. He's had at least 100 targets every year of his career — on pace for 85 right now.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 24, 2024
Evans was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday but did not practice on Friday. The Buccaneers did not assign him an injury designation, so while fantasy managers can expect him to play, they should temper expectations for a big game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If there’s one injury that concerns me more than anything, it’s a neck issue — which is what Chris Godwin was listed as dealing with on Wednesday’s practice report.
The good news is that, like Evans, Godwin was limited on Wednesday. He was also limited on Thursday and Friday and is set to play after not receiving an injury designation.
Godwin has been as good as any wide receiver in the NFL through three weeks. His 21.4 fantasy points per game currently ranks fourth. If he continues on this pace, it will be a career year for him.
Helping Godwin’s cause has been incredible touchdown efficiency. He’s never been a prolific scorer, yet so far, he has a touchdown in every game.
Chris Godwin gets the @Buccaneers on the board!
📺: #DENvsTB – Sunday on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/HkpbtqxGLM— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Godwin has already exceeded his touchdown total from the entire 2023 season and is an every-week high-WR2.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One of the coolest early-season stories for the Bucs is the rise of Bucky Irving. Last year, we saw Rachaad White inundated with volume because the team simply did not roster another NFL-caliber running back. This year, they most definitely have one.
Irving has seen a consistent role over the first three weeks of the season. He’s played around one-third of the snaps in every game and is handling 7-9 carries.
While Irving’s role hasn’t grown, it’s already way more than any of White’s backups had last year. If Irving keeps playing like this, I expect a full-blown 50/50 timeshare by midseason. The only thing that could derail the Irving train would be injury.
Given how explosive Irving has been averaging 6.1 yards per touch, you hate to see him listed on the practice report with a hamstring issue. He was able to get in a limited practice on Wednesday, however he was downgraded on Thursday as a non-participant due to his hamstring injury.
Irving however said he will be playing this week, which makes his absence from Thursday’s practice less of a concern. He is listed as questionable after returning as a limited participant in Friday’s practice.
If Irving continues to be vastly superior to the worst pure runner in the NFL, Irving could emerge into a viable RB3. For now, though, he’s a high-upside handcuff/injury fill-in. He’s not quite startable, but Irving should be rostered in every league.