The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without second-year wide receiver Jalen McMillan for the first half of the season after he suffered a severe neck sprain in their Week 2 preseason game. With Teddy Bridgewater at the helm, McMillan had to go high for a pass and was upended by a Steelers defender. McMillan made the catch, but the hit caused him to land directly on his neck. Thankfully it wasn’t worse.
McMillan had a strong rookie season, as he did a good job of replacing veteran Chris Godwin after his Week 7 ankle injury. The rookie caught 37 passed for 461 yards and eight touchdowns. He ended the season on a touchdown streak, scoring seven times in just five games.
Godwin’s ankle injury continues to keep him out of practice and there is a real chance he’s placed on there PUP list to start the season. That would keep him out at least four games. Whatever happens with Godwin, it doesn’t look like he will be ready for a full complement of snaps for Week 1. His fantasy value remains iffy, as we just don’t know when he’ll play at this point.
Godwin’s recovery and McMillan’s injury put rookie Emeka Egbuka as the de facto No. 2 receiver behind Mike Evans to start the season. And, even when Godwin returns, Egbuka would still be slotted in as WR3, giving him plenty of snaps to win targets.
Egbuka’s season long value does hinge on Godwin’s recovery more than McMillan’s absence though. Godwin’s injury was brutal, and there is no guarantee he will come back as the same player. If he does go on PUP and still needs to ramp up to NFL speed, there’s a real chance the rookie can carve out a strong role even when Godwin returns. At this point, all signs are positive for the rookie, as he’s looked great in camp and is coming off a spectacular touchdown against the Steelers. I’m not going to worry too much about Godwin and grab Egbuka sooner than later in drafts.
Like Egbuka, Godwin’s absence helps more than McMillan’s. We already knew Evans was the top dog, but without Godwin, he is force-fed targets. He should be an early season stud.
As for Otton, McMillan’s injury should help him see more work overall, and while Godwin is out, he will get a nice bump at the beginning of the season on top of that.
