Jalen

McMillan

McMillan and the Bucs’ passing game was mostly an afterthought, outside of Cade Otton — a fellow former Washington standout — going for 94 yards. McMillan’s year was decimated by injuries, but fantasy players shouldn’t forget how impressive he looked in his rookie season before his neck ailments. He’s a sleeper play for 2026, but also could get a chance to play in the postseason if the Falcons lose to the Saints in Week 18.

McMillan saw surprisingly high usage in Week 17, leading the Bucs with nine targets on the day. He tallied a career-high 114 receiving yards on a career-high seven receptions. Though he saw just 35 snaps, fourth among Bucs wide receivers, McMillan was available frequently at the sticks. He totaled three catches for 39 yards on the first drive of the game and was a sizeable part of the gameplan throughout the day. The Bucs offense is a mess of inefficiency and inconsistency, making McMillan a boom-or-bust option in Week 18 against the Panthers.

McMillan operated as the WR3 in the Bucs’ offense, behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. He saw just three targets on a day where Baker Mayfield was not throwing beyond the sticks very often. The Bucs offense has many mouths to feed and although McMillan is already operating ahead of rookie Emeka Egbuka, he is hardly a fantasy option for Week 17 against the Dolphins.

McMillan came mere inches short of turning his first catch of 2025 into a touchdown, but instant replay deemed him to be down inside of the one yard line. The second-year wideout has missed the entirety of the campaign prior to Thursday due to a neck issue, and while there are a lot of bodies to feed in the Tampa Bay offense, it’s worth keeping in mind that McMillan was a significant part of the passing attack in 2025 as a rookie. Still, it’s hard to see him being a fantasy option for the remainder of 2025, and there’s more risk than reward for Week 16 against the Panthers.

Otton is, unfortunately, sidelined by a knee injury. The pass-catching corps gets WR Mike Evans (collarbone) and WR Jalen McMillan (neck) back tonight, though, boosting QB Baker Mayfield’s fantasy-scoring potential. Mayfield will also helpfully have LT Tristan Wirfs (oblique) protecting his blindside this evening.

Making his 2025 debut on the same night Mike Evans is returning from his broken collarbone, McMillan is going to be lightly targeted as the Bucs’ No. 4 wideout but can hopefully provide better routes/snaps than Tez Johnson had been of late. McMillan had an intriguing if highly inconclusive rookie year. An end-of-bench stash in dynasty leagues, McMillan is off the re-draft radar for the fantasy playoffs.

Jalen McMillan was also activated. Both players are technically still listed as questionable, though the designations are largely a procedural matter. We fully expect both wideouts to suit up versus Atlanta tomorrow. Evans could be on a pitch count in his first game back, but the Bucs will make the most of the reps he is on the field for. He will be a WR3 for Week 15.

McMillan suffered a neck injury during the preseason and hasn’t played this year. He remains on injured reserve, meaning the team will have to officially activate him if he is going to suit up. With Mike Evans also expected to return, McMillan won’t have much of a role in his first game of the season.

Evans has been a limited practice participant ever since returning to practice from his collarbone injury. He has a chance to play Thursday against the Falcons, pending Wednesday’s final injury status. Evans would return amidst a crucial NFC South race and would not return to WR2 status immediately, but would have FLEX value should be play in Week 15. WR Jalen McMillan (neck) was also limited as he nears a return.

It was reported on Sunday that Evans was already pushing to play in Week 15 after being held out against the Saints. Evans practiced all of last week and was listed as limited on Monday’s estimated practice report. He is clearly trending toward a return, which could not come at a better time for the Bucs. After an unprecedented loss to the 2-10 Saints, the Buccaneers are 7-6 and need all hands on deck as they look to secure a playoff berth and/or NFC South title in the coming weeks. In addition to Evans, Bowles also said WR Jalen McMillan (neck), who was also listed as limited on Monday’s estimated report, has a chance to return this week.