Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Mike Evans
Tom Brady’s first playoff game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be without leading receiver Mike Evans.
Evans is a game-time decision for Saturday night’s game, according to head coach Bruce Arians. Evans suffered a knee injury in Week 17 and did not return in the blowout win over the Lions.
He did not practice on Wednesday and was a limited participant on Thursday. The Bucs can maximize their time Saturday to prepare Evans as much as possible thanks to the primetime kickoff.
What Mike Evans Means for Tampa Bay
Evans is part of arguably the most valuable receiving corps in football, along with Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown.
According to our Director of Predictive Analytics Sean Koerner’s player ratings, Evans is the third-most valuable player on Tampa Bay behind only Brady and Godwin. Evans is worth 0.59 points to the spread.
If Evans can’t go or is limited, Scotty Miller figures to get more opportunities. Miller is more than a half-point downgrade from Evans.
Evans led the team with 1,006 yards and 13 touchdowns. Miller finished the regular season with 501 yards and three touchdowns.
Tampa Bay is favored by at least 7.5 points at sportsbooks at time of publish, but the team will still have its hands full against a Washington pass defense that allows just 191 yards per game in the air.
Bettors should monitor Evans’ progress as kickoff nears. In addition to the point spread, how involved Evans is can impact his player props or fantasy points. If Tampa Bay gets an early lead, the team may feel more comfortable limiting his snaps.