For many, the game of the week is Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles at Raymond James Stadium. However, for many others this has NFL Fantasy implications as well. For those, knowing if top-tier wide receiver Mike Evans will play is crucial after appearing on injury reports with a hamstring injury.
Unfortunately, Mike Evans is sidelined for at least three weeks, meaning he won’t play against the Eagles today. That means the Buccaneers will need to find other options downfield to harm Philly’s secondary.
On the other hand, this makes the Bucs’ offense one to exploit other weapons. The good thing for Tampa Bay is it does have plenty of arsenal on its roster to still be dangerous.
Mike Evans brings more than just receiving prowess
The bad thing about not having Evans is that not only is he the best receiver, but he is a leader and a captain. Evans serves as the deep and outside-the-numbers threat on this team, but he also is the one Mayfield looks for when a big play is needed.
The Buccaneers will have to share the rock against the Eagles to keep them guessing. If not, the aggressive unit of Philadelphia could put Mayfield and company into real trouble.
Evans was having a relatively shy season so far
In three games, Evans only had 14 catches for 140 yards and one touchdown. That is not necessarily the best usage he’s seen but it’s still early in the season and most likely he will get back and put pedal to the metal as soon as he recovers from his hamstring injury.
As for the Bucs, they are 3-0 but they’ve needed three game-winning drives. It’s not like they are winning comfortably. They’ve scored 23, 20 and 29 points so far in their games. It’s an offense that hasn’t unlocked the next level of production but the talent is there, it’s just a matter of time.