RADIO
Will Chris Godwin start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he returns? Aidin Ebrahimi breaks down the Chris Godwin return timeline and fantasy football outlook.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are having a great season, as this marks just the fifth time in their history that they have started the season 6-2. Their hot start to the season becomes even more impressive when you factor in all the injuries they've had to deal with.
Mike Evans, Bucky Irving, Jalen McMillan, and Chris Godwin are all hurt right now, which has caused QB Baker Mayfield to rely on rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka. Last week, we talked about Irving's status, and now, we'll look at Godwin's fantasy outlook.
Will Godwin be the Buccaneers' starting wide receiver when he returns? Let's dive in.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) rankings
- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
- Defense (D/ST) rankings
- Kicker (K) rankings
- FLEX rankings
- Dynasty rankings
Will Chris Godwin Start For The Buccaneers When He Returns?
Godwin got off to a blazing start in the 2024 season, catching 43 passes for 511 yards and five touchdowns in his first six games. His 124.3 PPR points ranked him as the overall WR1 during that stretch, but a devastating ankle injury in Week 7 ended his season.
Chris Godwin Might Not Return Until Late November, Early Decemberhttps://t.co/cMu0D1TlEb
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 7, 2025
Despite his injury, several teams were interested in signing Godwin in the offseason, including one who, according to Buccaneers GM Jason Licht, "kept writing him blank checks." However, Godwin chose to stay loyal and left around $20 million on the table to re-sign with Tampa Bay.
He returned to the field in Week 4 against the Eagles, but has not played in the Bucs' last three games due to a fibula injury, which was initially reported to have been in a different area than his fractured ankle last year.
In his absence, the Bucs have relied on young wideouts to carry their passing game. Rookie duo Egbuka and Tez Johnson have done a great job, while sophomore Kameron Johnson and third-year wideout Ryan Miller have also gotten some opportunities.
32-year-old Sterling Shepard is the only veteran presence in the Bucs' WR room, but it's clear none of these players (with the exception of Egbuka) are on the same level as Godwin and Evans.
Mayfield has averaged just 212.0 passing yards per game over his last three games, compared to 256.6 yards per game in his first five games, when he had either Evans or Godwin starting alongside Egbuka. It's clear that Godwin is still a starting receiver for the Buccaneers.
Chris Godwin Fantasy Football Outlook
Godwin's injury has been a very complicated issue, which has frustrated Buccaneers fans and his fantasy managers. Godwin underwent two surgeries for his ankle injury last year, with the second one being a "clean-up" procedure.
This caused concern for many fans, but everyone thought he'd be okay after he returned to the field in Week 4.
Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Godwin's current injury is a re-aggravation of his fibula, which goes against the Bucs' previous reports of his fibula injury being unrelated to his dislocated ankle.
"They just don't want to press it with him," said Fowler. "They're thinking late-November, December with Chris Godwin. They'll take it week-to-week with him."
This is a huge blow for Godwin, but the good news is that the Bucs' receiving room has the chance to be completely healthy for the first time this year near the end of the season.
The earliest return time for Evans is Week 15, while the team is still hoping for McMillan's return before the playoffs.
It seems like Week 12 could be a realistic point to hope for Godwin's return. Godwin can provide great fantasy value alongside Egbuka until Evans' return, and has the potential to be a league-winning pick if you're able to pick him up for the fantasy playoffs.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 10 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Tyrone Tracy Jr., Kyle Monangai, Quentin Johnston, Parker Washington, Rachaad White. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 10. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 10 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Tyrone Tracy Jr., Kyle Monangai, Quentin Johnston, Parker Washington, Rachaad White. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 10.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 10 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 10 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 10 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Tyrone Tracy Jr., Kyle Monangai, Quentin Johnston, Parker Washington, Rachaad White compared to others:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
