The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been slowly but surely getting healthier as the season has progressed and now wide receiver Mike Evans is back.
Evans was designated to return from injured reserve last week but was ultimately ruled out for Week 14. This week, Evans turned in three more limited practices before drawing the questionable tag for Week 15.
However, the Buccaneers took another massive step toward bringing Evans back on Wednesday, when the team activated him off injured reserve.
Here's what we know about Evans' status for Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons.
Is Mike Evans playing tonight?
Yes, Evans is expected to play on Thursday night against the Falcons.
The Buccaneers activated Evans off injured reserve on Wednesday, which was the last step for him to make his return to the field.
Along with Evans, the Bucs will also see the return of Jalen McMillan, who was also activated off IR this week.
"[They] looked good, they looked fresh, they ran great routes, they looked like they never left," head coach Todd Bowles said of Evans and McMillan. "Obviously, they haven't been hit or anything yet, but they looked good in practice."
Mike Evans start or sit advice
In the three full games Evans played this season, he ranked as WR33 overall, so he is by no means a lineup lock. Another concern with starting Evans this week is his snap count.
After having missed so much time, Evans is likely to see a limited workload, just like we saw with fellow wideout Chris Godwin when he made his return to the lineup in Week 12.
Godwin saw 25 snaps in that game, so we would expect around the same for Evans this week.
The Falcons present a favorable matchup, with Atlanta ceding the 10th-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season.
We would consider Evans a fringe flex option, though, thanks to his lackluster stats from earlier this season and the expectation that he will be limited. We also have to remember the Bucs have a crowded situation at wide receiver with Godwin and McMillan now healthy and rookie Emeka Egbuka in the mix.
There's just too many negatives here to start Evans in the fantasy football playoffs in his first game back. We'd suggest keeping him on the bench.
Verdict: Sit