Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan is expected to miss the start of the season after suffering a "severely strained neck" in the second preseason game, according to HC Todd Bowles. Bowles added that the injury "shouldn't be" career threatening. We'll look for a more concrete timeline for McMillan's return.
Update: McMillan will be placed on IR and "could be out past the Bucs Week 9 bye week," according to The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud.
2025 Fantasy Football Impact
This is a significant loss for a Buccaneers team that is also expected to be without WR Chris Godwin (ankle) to open the season.
It guarantees that rookie WR Emeka Egbuka will be in a top-two role right out of the gate. Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer, and rookie Tez Johnson will be in the mix for No. 3 WR snaps, but none is rosterable in fantasy football.
WR Mike Evans and TE Cade Otton should also get target boosts with Godwin and McMillan out.
