Nov 6, 2026, 10:12 AM ET

Across eight games in 2026, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. has recorded 27 catches for 243 yards on 35 targets. Like every other pass-catcher in the Tampa Bay offense, Godwin Jr. was shut out in Week 8, recording zero catches on just one target in a rain-altered game where Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield did not complete a single pass. Outlier weather games excluded, Godwin Jr. has still struggled to find consistent production so far this season. The 30-year-old has not reached 40 receiving yards in a game since Week 2, and he's averaging a career-low 6.9 yards per target this year. The Buccaneers also appear likely to get wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (foot) back from the foot injury that's sidelined him for the last two games in Week 9, which could reduce Godwin's role in the offense even further. In all but the deepest fantasy leagues, Godwin Jr. is an extremely risky start.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Nov 5, 2026, 4:13 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (foot) was upgraded to full participation in practice on Thursday, per River Wells of Sports Illustrated. Egbuka has missed Tampa Bay's last two games due to a concussion and a foot injury, but it appears he could be trending toward a return in Week 9 against the Chicago Bears. Across six games in 2026, Egbuka has recorded 28 catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns on 49 targets. Upon his return, the 24-year-old will be reunited with Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was sidelined by a thumb injury in Egbuka's three most recent games. If Egbuka is able to play in Week 9, he would profile as the clear WR1 in Tampa Bay and would be startable in three-wide receiver fantasy leagues.--Will Brady
Source: Sports Illustrated - River Wells

Nov 5, 2026, 12:25 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (foot) returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's session, according to Pewter Report. Egbuka has missed the past two games while dealing with foot and concussion injuries, although he cleared the league's concussion protocol late last week. He was limited during Wednesday and Thursday's practices last week before sitting out Friday and being ruled out against Atlanta. The second-year receiver worked with a trainer on the side Wednesday before returning to practice Thursday, an encouraging development ahead of Sunday's Week 9 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Egbuka has caught 28 of 49 targets for 240 yards and two touchdowns across six games this season. His availability remains uncertain, and Sunday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff presents an additional challenge for fantasy managers. Those considering Egbuka for their lineups should have a late-game replacement available if his status remains questionable.--Bruno Mulé
Source: Pewter Report

Nov 5, 2026, 12:12 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on Thursday that he was not expecting wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee) back in Week 9 against the Chicago Bears, and the team is on bye next week, so the next window for him to return from Injured Reserve is when the Bucs return to practice in two weeks, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. McMillan's injury was reported as a six- to eight-week injury initially, so it is still within that window. The 24-year-old aggravated a PCL sprain in his left knee in Week 3 and was placed on IR, and he will not be back until sometime after Tampa's Week 10 bye. With Emeka Egbuka (foot) on the verge of a return from a two-game absence and the Buccaneers' passing attack on life support the last two weeks, even when McMillan returns, he is not going to be a very popular waiver-wire pickup in fantasy leagues as he battles for a depth role behind Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. In two games played so far in 2026 in his third year in the NFL, McMillan had zero catches on just one target.--Keith Hernandez
Source: FOX Sports - Greg Auman

Nov 4, 2026, 10:40 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell (hip) was limited during Wednesday's practice with a hip injury, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The official injury report for the Buccaneers confirms Gainwell's status. Gainwell is coming off a breakout game in a 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8, in which he recorded career highs in rushing attempts with 25 and rushing yards with 140, while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Earlier on Wednesday, Stroud reported that Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles noted that Gainwell is becoming the "1B" to Bucky Irving's "1A" that the Buccaneers envisioned for Gainwell when they signed him. Gainwell's status for a Week 9 matchup with the Chicago Bears will need to continue to be monitored throughout the week, but a limited session on Wednesday shouldn't be of too much concern as things currently stand.--Ryan O'Bleness
Source: Rick Stroud - Tampa Bay Times

Nov 4, 2026, 8:26 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell has looked like what the team envisioned him to be when they added him in the offseason over the last couple of weeks as the 1B to Bucky Irving's 1A, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Through the first six games, Irving was doing his thing while Gainwell mostly watched and waited, never seeing more than five carries in a game. Gainwell had 14 carries for 88 yards in the Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers and then saw a season-high 25 carries for 140 rushing yards in a rain-soaked 16-0 win over the division-rival Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Irving also had a career-best 170 yards on 27 carries on the ground. Tampa had a club-record 324 rushing yards in Week 8. "I think we finally got to where we're utilizing Kenny more and more, and that's kind of the 1A, 1B we were talking about when we first signed him," head coach Todd Bowles said. Irving is on pace for 312 rushing attempts, and the Bucs do not want to run him into the ground. Fantasy managers should not expect another ground domination like the Bucs had on Sunday against Atlanta, but Gainwell's stock is back up after he was dropped in a lot of fantasy leagues after his slow start. He is still rostered in under 50% of Yahoo leagues and is worth adding again with Tampa potentially riding their two RBs as much as possible going forward.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Tampa Bay Times - Rick Stroud

Nov 4, 2026, 8:15 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (foot) did not practice on Wednesday but ran on the side, according to Scott Smith of the team's official website. The Buccaneers will see how Egbuka feels on Thursday after his running session on Wednesday. The 24-year-old has missed two straight games, but he cleared the concussion protocol late last week, and he appears to be making progress with his foot injury this week. Still, Egbuka will likely need to upgrade to a full practice in the next two days to avoid a questionable tag or being ruled out entirely for a third straight game. In the two games that Egbuka has missed, the Bucs have leaned heavily on their rushing attack, with quarterback Baker Mayfield going 7-for-14 passing for 64 yards with one touchdown. He went 0-for-3 passing in the Week 8 win over the division-rival Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Egbuka has been Tampa's top wideout when healthy, catching 28 of his 49 targets for 240 yards and two touchdowns, but with the team's passing game doing next to nothing of late, he will be a volatile starting fantasy WR if he returns to the field in Week 9 to take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Buccaneers.com - Scott Smith

Nov 4, 2026, 12:20 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (foot) was seen running on the side with a trainer during practice on Wednesday, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Fantasy managers will have to check back a bit later for Egbuka's official practice status, but it is a good sign that he is doing something at practice as he tries to put an end to his two-game absence. He previously was dealing with a concussion as well, but he has since cleared the league's protocol and has a much better chance of playing this Sunday night in Chicago against the Bears. The 24-year-old former first-rounder from Ohio State has been Tampa's No. 1 receiver this year with Mike Evans in San Francisco, catching 28 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns in his six games played. However, the Buccaneers' offense has leaned heavily on the ground game in the last two weeks with Egbuka out, and it is fair for fantasy managers to wonder if that will continue if/when Egbuka returns. Right now, Egbuka should be considered a pretty shaky WR4/flex for Week 9 as he attempts to move past his lingering foot injury.--Keith Hernandez
Source: FOX Sports - Greg Auman

Nov 4, 2026, 10:19 AM ET

Tampa Bay defensive lineman Vita Vea is reportedly on the Giants' radar, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. New York inquired about Jeffery Simmons multiple times, but he was eventually dealt to the Bears last week. Tampa Bay is not expected to move Vea, but the Giants have still inquired about him, and are likely to add a defensive lineman at some point before the trade deadline. Vea has 16 total tackles on the season - his lone sack came in Week 7 against Carolina. Vea is 31 years old and signed a one-year extension with Tampa Bay before this season that keeps him under contract with the Bucs through the 2027 season.--Morgan Rode
Source: ESPN

Nov 3, 2026, 10:28 PM ET

In a 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had one of the most bizarre stat lines you will see from a starting signal-caller in the NFL. Mayfield did not complete a single pass, and he only had three passing attempts against the Falcons. It marked the first time since 1974 that a team won a game without completing a single pass. Of course, the heavy rain conditions and sloppy field played a big part in the Bucs not being able to throw the ball. Mayfield did add four rushes for 14 yards, and the Buccaneers leaned on Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell in the ground game to defeat the Falcons. The odds of Mayfield having another game like that are very slim. He will look to bounce back against the Chicago Bears in Week 9. The Bears allow 219 passing yards per game. However, in the two games since Mayfield has returned from a thumb injury, he has thrown the ball just 14 times, with seven completions for 64 yards and a touchdown. Mayfield is currently rostered in 26% of Yahoo leagues, and started in just 7% of those leagues. While desperate fantasy managers could look to stream Mayfield if absolutely needed, there are likely better waiver wire targets at the quarterback position available.--Ryan O'Bleness
Source: Pro Football Reference

Nov 2, 2026, 12:45 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (foot) could return for the team's Week 9 matchup on Sunday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Egbuka has missed the team's last two games with a concussion and a foot injury. The 24-year-old former first-rounder from Ohio State cleared the concussion protocol last week, but he remained out in Sunday's shutout win over the division-rival Atlanta Falcons. Now that he is only dealing with a foot injury, Egbuka could be cleared to face Chicago on the road this weekend if he makes enough progress in practice this week. He has been Tampa's top receiver when healthy, catching 28 of his 49 targets for 240 yards and two touchdowns in six games played. However, Egbuka's fantasy value is trending down with the Bucs moving to a run-based offense. Quarterback Baker Mayfield did not complete a single pass in the win over Atlanta and has gone 7-for-14 for 64 yards and a touchdown in two games since returning from his dislocated right thumb.--Keith Hernandez
Source: FOX Sports - Greg Auman

Nov 2, 2026, 11:25 AM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell has made a compelling case for a waiver-wire addition after rushing for 228 yards on 39 carries over the last two games. He followed his 88-yard performance against Carolina in Week 7 with a career-high 140 yards on 25 carries in Sunday's 16-0 victory over Atlanta. Gainwell played 50% of Tampa Bay's offensive snaps, up from 30% the previous week, although the unusually heavy workload came in a rain-soaked game in which the Buccaneers completed no passes. Bucky Irving remained the lead back, rushing for 170 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Gainwell's recent production is encouraging, but Sunday's circumstances make another 25-carry outing difficult to project. He is worth adding in leagues with 10 or more teams as a valuable insurance option behind Irving, with some standalone appeal if his involvement continues. Fantasy managers should view him as backfield depth rather than a dependable Week 9 starter against Chicago.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Nov 1, 2026, 11:14 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell rushed for 140 yards on 25 carries during Sunday's Week 8 win over the Atlanta Falcons. It was a historic day for the Buccaneers, who won 16-0 despite completing zero pass attempts. This is the first time an NFL team has won a game without completing a pass since 1974. Instead, Tampa Bay ran the ball a whopping 56 times for 324 yards. Both Gainwell and Bucky Irving had 25+ carries and 140+ rushing yards in the victory, representing an enormous accomplishment from the backfield. While Irving remains the undisputed No. 1 running back in Tampa Bay, we can't ignore the fact that Gainwell has carved out a sizable role in the last two weeks. Between his last two games, the veteran running back has a total of 39 carries and 228 rushing yards, although he's still looking for his first rushing touchdown of the season. The game script and weather conditions may prompt the Bucs to run the ball less in Week 9 against the Bears, but Gainwell has still done enough to put his name on the fantasy radar as a volume-based RB3/flex.--Andersen Pickard
Source: RotoBaller

Nov 1, 2026, 5:53 PM ET

One of the most bizarre games in modern NFL history led to a huge day for Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving, who broke loose for 170 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries in a 16-0 victory against the Atlanta Falcons. With the majority of the game played in driving rain and the Bucs' running game churning out first down after first down, Tampa Bay threw the ball only three times and finished with zero completions, the first time since 1974 that an NFL team failed to complete at least one pass. In addition to Irving's big day, Kenny Gainwell also easily cleared the century mark, going for 140 on 25 carries as Tampa compiled a franchise-record 324 rushing yards. Irving has 487 rushing yards and four touchdowns in his past four games, a hot streak that will keep him firmly on the fantasy radar when Tampa travels to Chicago next week.--Nick Piotrowicz
Source: ESPN