Entering the 2021 season as reigning Super Bowl champions, not much has changed offensively for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady is coming into his second season with the team and has a much better understanding of the system, and playbook. Second in the league last season with 610 pass attempts, third in passing yards (4,633), and tied for second in with 40 passing touchdowns, this offense will look to continue its dominance in the passing game. With arguably the best wide receiver trio in the NFL, there will be no shortage in fantasy football production from this group. This article will dive into Tampa Bay’s wide receiver situation and look at what we can expect from all three players heading into the 2021 season.
Mike Evans
Mr. Consistent has once again lived up to his name. Putting up over 1,000 yards for the seventh consecutive season, Mike Evans had himself another productive year. Racking up 70 receptions for 1,006 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns, Evans found himself finishing as the WR11 in fantasy football PPR leagues. Evans averaged 15.5 fantasy points per game. This ranked him as the WR16.
Mike Evans only managed to record four 100-yard games, and half of them came when Chris Godwin was sidelined. Outside of these four games, his next highest yardage total in a game was only 77. However, it is the touchdowns where Evans makes up for it. Having a future hall of fame quarterback throwing as often as he does bodes well for the pass-catchers. Evans will continue to be a red zone threat and his touchdown opportunities should remain high.
Chris Godwin
Despite playing in only 12 games last season, Chris Godwin still managed to finish as the WR31. In these 12 games, he recorded 65 catches for 840 yards and seven touchdowns on 84 targets. While finishing as a WR3 on the year is a disappointment, his points per game tell a much different story. Diving a bit deeper, Godwin was the 15th ranked receiver, averaging 15.9 PPR points per game. This was just ahead of his teammate, Mike Evans.
Godwin averaged the highest snap percentage of the three wide receivers with an 85% rate. This was higher than Evans’ 80% rate, and it blew Antonio Brown’s 62% out of the water. It is clear that when healthy, the Buccaneers prioritize having Godwin out on the field.
Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown didn’t see any action until Week 9 of the 2020 season. In his eight games played, Brown was able to put up 45 receptions, 483 yards, and four touchdowns on 62 targets. Brown ended up tied for 21st among wide receivers with 14.6 PPR points per game. This would have made him a WR2 in fantasy football leagues.
With this in mind, of his 117.1 fantasy points scored, 36.8 of them came in Week 17 of the season. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Week 17 still counts. Many players have boom weeks that contribute to a lot of their points. True. But, in most fantasy football leagues, playoffs end in Week 16. Excluding Brown’s Week 17 performance, he only averaged 11.5 points per game. This would have been good for the WR47. Yikes.
Conclusion
So where does this leave us? If you’re a believer in Brown as a WR2, he is the best option. He’s currently being drafted in the ninth round of fantasy football leagues. However, I am not sold on him this season. The lowest snap percentage among Buccaneers wideouts by a large margin, and not a convincing points per game showing from Weeks 9-16, I would rather have one of the other two. With that being said, taking Brown as a late-round flier as your fourth wide receiver could provide some week-winning performances.
On the flip side, we know exactly what we are getting with Evans and Godwin. Practically being drafted at the same spot, I don’t think you can go wrong with either. Evans will get you the 1,000-yard season and have touchdown upside. Godwin will typically see more consistent targets and yardage. On an offense as good as this, with Tom Brady throwing it, either option will produce. I would happily select either of them as my second wide receiver in fantasy football drafts.
