Finally, for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, some positive injury news.
CBS Sports NFL reporter Matt Zenitz broke the news that the Buccaneers would have NFL All-Pro wide receiver Mike Evans back in the lineup for a Monday Night Football showdown against the Detroit Lions in Week 8 just hours before kickoff.
Evans has been out the last 3 games with a hamstring injury.
“Buccaneers star wide receiver Mike Evans (hamstring) is good to go and will play tonight vs. the Lions after missing the last three games, sources tell CBS Sports,” Zenitz wrote on his official X account on October 20.
There’s also a chance rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka could play against the Lions. The first round pick leads the Buccaneers in receiving but had to leave a Week 6 win over the San Francisco 49ers with a hamstring injury. He’s a game time decision.
“We’re talking about the Detroit Lions basically missing their entire starting secondary tonight,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show on October 20. “I think Mike Evans is gonna play and Emeka Egbuka also has a real chance to play tonight”
Buccaneers Have Been Winning Without Stars
The Buccaneers have been winning games without their full complement of stars on the roster and are 5-1 headed into the game against the Lions.
Along with Evans, fellow NFL All-Pro wide receiver Chris Godwin missed the first 3 games as he recovered from a dislocated left ankle suffered in Week 8 of the 2024 regular season, returned for 2 games and will now miss his second consecutive game as the injury continues to bother him.
There’s a third starting wide receiver for Tampa Bay from last season, Jalen McMillan, who won’t be available until Week 13, at the earliest, after he suffered a severely sprained neck in a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That’s not all. NFL All-Pro left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, arguably the game’s dominant offensive lineman, missed the first 3 games with a knee injury. Starting offensive guard Cody Mauch, who had started 37 consecutive regular season games, suffered a season ending knee injury in Week 2.
Starting right offensive tackle Luke Goedeke has missed the last 4 games with a foot injury. Starting running back Bucky Irving, who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie in 2024, has missed the last 2 games with a shoulder injury.
Evans’ Return Could Be Turning of the Tide
We shouldn’t underestimate how much Evans coming back to the lineup could mean to the Buccaneers.
The future Pro Football Hall of Famer has been a firestarter throughout his career and if he can stay healthy, his pursuit of an NFL record 12th consecutive 1,000 yard receiving season could still be in play.
For one group of football degenerates — fantasy football fanatics — Evans’ return means something entirely different: Chaos.
“Mike Evans being a game time decision for a Monday night football game should be illegal,” Alex Torres wrote on X. “This is a fantasy managers nightmare scenario.”
“I’m gonna need Mike Evans to drop a nuclear bomb tonight to save my fantasy team,” X user Middle Name Wyatt wrote ahead of kickoff against the Lions.
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