It has been a tough week for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Will fantasy managers have either Antonio Brown or Mike Evans available in Week 16 as both look to recover from injury? What is the latest news on both Brown and Evans, how have they performed this season, and what would it mean for fantasy football managers if they were missing?
Update 12/26/21: Mike Evans is officially inactive for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to his injury. Antonio Brown will return from his suspension and play against the Carolina Panthers.
Is Mike Evans or Antonio Brown playing in Week 16?
The situation surrounding both Evans and Brown is especially important given the losses suffered by the Buccaneers already this week. Fellow WR Chris Godwin was lost for the season with an ACL tear, while Leonard Fournette was placed on the IR with a hamstring injury. Therefore, the Buccaneers hope Brown can return to the field after his suspension.
Brown has been missing for the Buccaneers since Week 6. First, it was an ankle injury that kept him out, and then it was a three-game suspension for reportedly using a fake vaccine card. Week 16 is the first week Brown is eligible to return from his suspension, but he remains on the Buccaneers’ injury report with an ankle injury. The receiver was limited on both Wednesday and Thursday but did at least manage to practice.
While the outlook for Brown is hopeful, the situation is bleaker for Evans. After leaving the Week 15 matchup with a hamstring injury, Evans did not participate in practice at all this week and was ruled out of Week 16 on Friday.
The situation is tough for Tampa. They really want to make sure they have Evans and Brown for the playoffs. However, they are in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and cannot afford to slip up.
Both Brown and Evans have been impressive when on the field this season
Brown had been rolling along nicely to open the season before his issues. He had 121 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Brown then struggled in Weeks 2 and 4 with just 80 receiving yards despite 14 targets across those two games. He bounced back in Weeks 5 and 6 with 217 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns on 16 receptions from 21 targets.
Meanwhile, Evans just continues to produce for the Buccaneers. Since being drafted, he never failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. In 2021, he was once again on pace for that with 885 receiving yards entering Week 15. Evans also has a shot of beating his career-high of 13 touchdowns. He currently has 11 and could easily pass the 13 he scored last year.
Which Buccaneers pass catchers could fantasy managers turn to?
It will be a tough week for fantasy managers of the Buccaneers pass catchers. If you have Brown, the instinct will be to start him. Brown seems a somewhat safer bet, but he did struggle in Weeks 2 and 4 when playing with a minor injury. Tampa Bay ruling Evans out at least makes that decision easier, if still somewhat frustrating.
If we look to the team’s depth chart to see who could benefit from Evans’ absence, there are a number of options. Firstly, there are the tight ends, Rob Gronkowski, Cameron Brate, and O.J. Howard. Gronkowski is the potential big scorer, having caught 2 touchdowns in a game three times this season. He has also seen an average of 9 targets per game in the past five weeks. With Evans out, that could grow this week.
Brate and Howard are more touchdown-dependent. If you had to roll with one, Brate has the higher floor, as Howard has seen just 1 target in the past four games. However, Howard could be a red-zone threat with Evans unavailable.
If you need to turn to another Buccaneers WR this week, it is likely Tyler Johnson. The young receiver has seen 10 targets in the past two contests and looks the most likely to step up. Scotty Miller would be a real shot in the dark but has had fantasy value before in this offense. Meanwhile, Breshad Perriman would be the boom-or-bust option if he can get off the reserve/COVID list, where he and Jaelon Darden reside entering the weekend.