Who Should I Start? Jalen McMillan or Arian Smith

Wednesday, April 1, 8:45 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan should occupy a larger role during the 2026 season after former teammate Mike Evans departed in free agency. Evans signed with the 49ers, leaving McMillan as the Bucs' new No. 3 receiver behind Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. The Washington product had an impressive rookie season back in 2024, catching 37 passes for 461 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing four games. He was trending toward being a major breakout candidate in 2025, but that fell apart due to the emergence of Egbuka and a neck injury that sidelined McMillan for 13 games. With the injury behind him and Evans gone, McMillan once again has an opportunity to break out in fantasy football. The pass-heavy Bucs offense has repeatedly shown that it can support three fantasy-relevant receivers, so fantasy managers should feel optimistic about McMillan for 2026. He's still relatively affordable in dynasty trades given his 13-week absence last year, so managers might be able to acquire him for cheap.