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Will Chris Godwin play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2025? Will Chris Godwin be healthy enough to play in Week 1? Andersen breaks down the latest Chris Godwin injury news for fantasy football.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin suffered a serious ankle disclocation during garbage time in Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season.
Godwin missed the rest of the 2024 season, and his status remains in jeopardy ahead of the Buccaneers' 2025 regular season opener.
Will Godwin be healthy before the 2025 season begins? Will Godwin play in Week 1?
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Will Chris Godwin Play This Season?
Godwin underwent surgery after suffering an ankle dislocation last October. Initially, there was some optimism that he could return for the 2024 playoffs, but that timeline proved to be far too ambitious.
This offseason, Godwin hit free agency and attracted plenty of interest from several NFL teams. His ongoing recovery factored into his market but ultimately didn't deter teams. In the end, he settled on re-signing with the Buccaneers on a three-year, $66 million deal. He reportedly chose to stay in Tampa Bay over taking more money elsewhere.
Godwin is now preparing for his ninth season in the NFL, as well as his ninth with the Buccaneers. His status for Week 1 is uncertain, but the team is confident that he will be able to play this year. Tampa Bay could place him on the PUP list and activate him around Week 5, which would make him available to fantasy managers for more than three-quarters of the season.
Jason Licht on Chris Godwin's recovery and potentially returning for the opener: "That, we don't know yet. He's doing very well. He's advancing through his protocols, he's exactly where they anticipated and hoped he would be at this point. He's still got a ways to go."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 5, 2025
Will Chris Godwin Play In Week 1?
General manager Jason Licht has repeatedly expressed optimism about Godwin's status, and the team has refused to rule him out for Week 1 just yet. They're leaving the door open for him to play in their Week 1 contest against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 7.
However, Godwin hasn't even started to jog on a side field yet, let alone make cuts and get ramped up to full speed. In other words, his surgically-repaired ankle is nowhere near game-ready.
As a result, Scott Reynolds of Penter Report recently wrote that he would be "shocked" if the Buccaneers don't place Godwin on the PUP list to open the season. He has been on the active/PUP list for most of the summer, and the Buccaneers could shift him to the reserve/PUP list once it's time to cut their roster down to 53 players.
If Godwin opens the season on the PUP list, he'd miss at least four games. In that scenario, the earliest he could return would be Week 5, when the Buccaneers play the Seattle Seahawks. At the moment, that timeline seems far more reasonable than targeting a Week 1 return.
Bucs Chris Godwin Likely to Start Season on PUP Listhttps://t.co/uhCFxBUgmT
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) August 18, 2025
Chris Godwin 2025 Fantasy Outlook
Godwin's injury uncertainty poses a challenge for fantasy managers trying to evaluate his price tag ahead of upcoming drafts. His track record and talent are undeniable, but there's a big difference between having Godwin healthy for Week 1 and getting him back at less than 100 percent in Week 5 or later.
The presence of rookie Emeka Egbuka creates additional confusion in the wide receiver room. It's unlikely that Egbuka would fully supplant Godwin, but it's certainly possible that the Ohio State product dominates in Weeks 1 through 4 and never looks back.
Godwin's ceiling is a top-12 fantasy receiver. He ranked sixth in production premium, seventh in QBR per target, and 10th in fantasy points per route run last year. He was the overall WR2 over the seven weeks he was healthy last year, and he was just 0.3 fantasy points behind the top scorer, Ja'Marr Chase. There is clear upside if he can come back fully healthy and play most of the season.
On the other hand, we don't know if Godwin's lingering injury will create any physical limitations when he returns to game action. We'd be much more bullish if beat writers were reporting that Godwin had started to practice and looked good, but that hasn't happened yet. The presence of Egbuka (plus Mike Evans and even Jalen McMillan) and the potential of Godwin missing four-plus weeks hurts his stock.
The fact that Godwin hasn't even started jogging yet means his return could be delayed until closer to midseason or beyond, so fantasy managers must be aware of that risk when drafting.
Godwin is currently being selected at an ADP of 79, which makes him the 38th receiver off the board. That is an appropriate price for him, and perhaps even a little more of a discount than expected. His injury uncertainty makes him impossible to trust as a WR1 or WR2, but if you can pencil him in as a WR3/FLEX as soon as he comes back, you'll be at a major advantage.
At this point, WR33 or later feels like a good time to pull the trigger on drafting Godwin. That slot puts him in the same realm as receivers like Rome Odunze, Chris Olave, Jakobi Meyers, Travis Hunter, Jordan Addison, and the 49ers' trio.
CHRIS GODWIN
🏴☠️ 11 receptions
🏴☠️ 125 yards
🏴☠️ 2 TDs
🏴☠️ 35.5 fantasy pointsSTEAL. OF. THE. DRAFT.pic.twitter.com/0ALZBS1VFm
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) October 13, 2024
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