Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Curtis Samuel

Thursday, October 16, 10:06 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (hamstring) is expected to return to practice on Thursday ahead of the team's Monday Night Football matchup against the Detroit Lions. Evans has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, which has plagued him at various points throughout his career. With his anticipated return to practice, there's a strong chance he suits up against Detroit. The matchup is a favorable one, as the Lions have surrendered the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Given the current injuries to Chris Godwin (fibula) and Emeka Egbuka (hamstring), Evans should immediately reclaim a heavy target share in the passing game. Assuming he's active, Evans profiles as a high-end WR2 for Week 7, with legitimate upside to post WR1 numbers as he continues his pursuit of a 12th consecutive 1,000-yard season.

Monday, October 13, 6:21 PM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (neck, ribs) is officially inactive for the Monday night contest on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. In addition to Samuel, the Bills' offense will be missing tight end Dalton Kincaid (oblique) against what has been a much-improved Atlanta defense so far in 2025. The 29-year-old Samuel hasn't been on the fantasy radar to begin with, but his absence on Monday means less depth in the wideout corps for Buffalo behind Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Joshua Palmer. The Bills have their bye coming in Week 7, so hopefully Samuel will be ready to go for a Week 8 contest against the Carolina Panthers. Samuel has only been active for two games so far in 2025 and has caught three of his four targets for 35 yards and one touchdown. He had just one TD in 14 games a year ago for Buffalo and should remain on the waiver wire.