The Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew out the New Orleans Saints, 51-27, in Week 7, but veteran wide receiver Mike Evans exited the game several times due to an injury. What happened to Evans, and will he be able to play in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens?
The Latest on Mike Evans’ Injury
Evans had come out of Sunday’s game several times before leaving for the locker room near the start of the second quarter.
Evans was able to return to the contest, but he had a quiet afternoon, finishing with just two receptions for 34 yards and zero touchdowns.
The Bucs nor the broadcast provided an official reason for Evans’ trip to the locker room, but head coach Todd Bowles has since explained that the veteran wide receiver is dealing with a nagging leg injury.
Bowles said Mike Evans has a nagging leg injury, didn’t go today but they’ll see how he progresses this week.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 17, 2024
Evans missed practice on both Thursday and Friday due to his leg issue, as he worked off to the side on Friday but was not dressed in pads.
Bucs receiver Mike Evans, who didn’t practice Thursday with a hamstring injury, is only working on the side with a trainer. Limited but still could go Monday. pic.twitter.com/NAd07pJcRd
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 18, 2024
Keep an eye on whether he’s able to practice on Saturday because that will likely determine if he can face the Ravens on Monday Night Football.
It’s worth noting that Evans has been dealing with a knee injury over the last two weeks, so it’s possible this is the injury that Bowles is referencing. Evans’ knee issue popped up on the injury report prior to the Bucs’ Week 5 game against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football, but he was able to play through it.
Evans is one of the most durable players in the NFL, with more 1,000-yard seasons (10) than missed games (nine) throughout his career (and of those missed games, several were due to suspensions).
Be sure to visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Fantasy Implications of Mike Evans’ Injury
Evans was in and out of last week’s blowout win over the Saints, and for the fourth time in five weeks, he produced at least 12% below the NFL average WR would, given his target type.
The injury could be a limiting factor based on his practice usage this week. But while the box score struggles have underwhelmed given his usage, it will be hard to get away from Evans if he can make it back on the field this week against pass-funnel Baltimore.
The Ravens are one of a handful of teams that we are conditioned into assuming that they defend at a high level. Not only is that not the case in 2024, but this secondary could well undo what otherwise could be a special season.
The Ravens are currently allowing the second-most passing yards per game (275.7) and the sixth-most passing touchdowns per game (1.8). They currently rank bottom 10 in passer rating, yards per attempt, first-down rate, and touchdown percentage.
Evans has always been a player whose value is driven by his scoring equity, and although he’s lost some of that due to Chris Godwin’s success, he still has plenty of fantasy equity in a matchup like this.
I have both Evans and Godwin ranked as top 15 receivers this week, and if this injury were to linger, Jalen McMillan would move onto my Flex ranks.
— PFN Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe
