The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their two biggest passing game threats, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, to injury last Monday Night. Evans for what is expected to be a few weeks to a hamstring injury, and Godwin for the season with a dislocated ankle, OUCH! So now the question becomes: How do you replace Hall of Famer Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in Fantasy Football?
The short answer is: you don’t. Not with one player anyway, but I do think that you can their production with a few players, Frankenstein their production if you will.
I think the biggest benefactor to both receivers being out will be tight end Cade Otton. He should easily replace Mike Evans’ red zone role as Baker Mayfield’s first look when the Bucs get in close. As far as Mike Evans’ ability to stretch the field, that should fall to Trey Palmer, but will probably only happen once or twice per game. Replacing Chris Godwin’s production with one player will also be impossible, as he is currently wide receiver #2 on the season on a points-per-game basis. Replacing his production will be a little more complicated, as he also played several roles in the Tampa Bay offense. His work in two wide receiver sets will likely be filled by rookie Jalen McMillan, who had already “won” the spot as wide receiver three before Evans and Godwin got hurt. Where it gets a little complicated is filling Godwin’s role in three wide receiver sets, where he usually moves in to the slot. I believe that this role will be filled by Sterling Shepherd. Shepherd has struggled to stay healthy in his career, but when on the field has been a pretty successful pass-catcher, mostly out of the slot position. Shepherd also has decent chemistry with quarterback Baker Mayfield, as the two went to college together at Oklahoma. It will be interesting to see how the Bucs offensive production shakes out in the next few weeks, as the Bucs aren’t expecting Mike Evans back until after their week 11 bye. I go through some other wide receiver conundrums, such as Miami, as well as week 8 Fire and Ice right here, just click the audio link above.