Who Should I Start? Chris Godwin Jr. or Ricky Pearsall

Monday, July 20, 10:29 AM

Andrew Harbaugh of the Buccaneers Wire writes that Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. will mostly work out of the slot in 2026, with Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan operating on the outside. The 30-year-old's redraft fantasy stock is down this year despite future Hall of Famer Mike Evans moving to San Francisco, primarily because he's only played in 16 regular-season games in the last two years due to injuries. In nine games in 2025, Godwin caught a career-low 33 passes for 360 yards and only two touchdowns on 51 targets. However, even though he's a big question mark in terms of durability, Godwin could be a solid value pick in 2026 fantasy drafts, particularly PPR formats, now that he's fully healthy and coming off a strong offseason. With Evans gone and in a new offense that figures to feature quick-hitters underneath, Godwin could easily become veteran QB Baker Mayfield's go-to target as Tampa looks to get back to the postseason. Nobody should be expecting Godwin to produce like he was before his ankle injury in 2024, when he had a 50-576-5 line in seven games, but he could still be a pretty productive WR4/flex for fantasy managers in 2026 if he can stay healthy for the entire season.