Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Michael Thomas

Wednesday, December 10, 11:50 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that wide receiver Mike Evans (collarbone) has "shown everything he needed to show in practice" to be activated off Injured Reserve for the team's Week 15 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, per Greg Auman of Fox Sports. All indications are pointing to Evans making his return on Thursday night from a broken collarbone that has sidelined him since Week 7. Across the four games he's been active for this season, the 32-year-old has hauled in 14 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown on 32 targets. Given the long injury layoff, Tampa Bay could choose to work him back in slowly and limit his snap share in Week 15. Still, Evans could immediately slot in as the Buccaneers' top pass-catcher alongside wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin. If active, Evans profiles as a low-end fantasy WR2 in Week 15.

Wednesday, September 11, 8:40 PM

The National Football League on Wednesday announced that it has lifted the suspension of free-agent wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas was suspended for the first game of the 2024 NFL season for an incident with a construction worker near his home last year. The fact that the 31-year-old remained without a team all offseason is a sign that he may struggle to latch on with an organization despite the fact that he's past his one-game suspension. Just several years ago, Thomas was the best receiver in the league, but injuries have limited him to 20 games since the start of the 2020 campaign, and he played in just 10 games with the New Orleans Saints last year before a knee injury ended his season. He caught 39 passes for 448 yards and one touchdown in 2023. Thomas belongs on the waiver wire in all leagues and is unlikely to be on the fantasy radar in 2024.