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Is Jalen McMillan playing on "Monday Night Football" or is he out? Is McMillan injured or healthy for Week 9 MNF? John Johnson analyzes the latest injury news.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan (hamstring) was set to have a more prominent role in the offense due to the injuries to the team's top-2 receivers before he became injured. Mike Evans (hamstring) is set to miss at least three more games, and Chris Godwin (ankle) will not play again this season.
The rookie was targeted seven times in Week 8 but was only able to haul in four passes for 35 yards. An expanded role doesn't necessarily mean good production, even though his quarterback, Baker Mayfield, has played like one of the best in the league this season. Injuries never help things, either.
So will JMac play tonight, or will he be out for Monday Night Football?
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Jalen McMillan Fantasy Football Injury Update
He's officially listed as "Questionable" on the Bucs injury report for tonight's game. He has a hamstring strain. Injuries to this muscle are tricky, and we saw this team completely mishandle one last week, causing Evans to re-aggravate his hamstring issue and be set to miss significant time as a result.
Second time this season Jalen McMillan has injured his hamstring in practice. First instance caused him to miss Weeks 4 & 5 and play only 18% of snaps in Week 6.
Todd Bowles mentioned rookies missing practice is a big setback earlier this season when talking about McMillan.… https://t.co/6HQQWEeMIY
— Mark Dankenbring (@MarkDank) November 2, 2024
As stated in the tweet, No. 15 injured his hamstring earlier in the season and missed time as a result. This makes it seem unlikely that he'll play tonight, but it's possible that the Bucs will be incentivized to try to make him play through the issue, considering how banged up they are at wideout.
With fellow WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring) also dealing with a similar injury, the team needs all the help it can get at WR, but whether either plays should come down to the severity of their ailments, not desperation.
Jalen McMillan Fantasy Football Injury Impact
The freshman wideout has had a brutal start to the season. He was drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, so he wasn't seen as an elite prospect by NFL teams, but he was certainly expected to play better than he has. Over his last two games, he's been targeted 15 times but only caught seven passes for 50 yards.
Jalen McMillan is the worst WR in the NFL
Every week he does something insane to take a TD off the boardThis week, we didn't even look for the ball vs a coverage bustpic.twitter.com/5gaxvkfdOS
— Joe (@JoeA_NFL) October 27, 2024
Those aren't numbers that are conducive to success. Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen runs a hugely productive offense that saw his QB1 throw 15 touchdowns in the first six games when he had healthy receivers. JMac's tape looks awful, so he has a lot of work to do to be a consistent fantasy presence.
Purely by virtue of the elite system and QB play, he could be fantasy-relevant, so he should be rostered. However, when Evans returns, the rookie could have his playing time and opportunities significantly cut down. Even if he plays this game, he could be slowed down by his injury. Tonight, his opponent will be the Kansas City Chiefs, who have a fantastic pass defense.
It's not looking good in the short or long term for McMillan.
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