Mike Evans injury update: Latest on Buccaneers WR's status for Week 12 game vs Giants

Things may be trending up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the final seven weeks of the 2024 season, and it's all because one player is set to make his return from an injury.

According to multiple reports, veteran wide receiver Mike Evans is set to return from injury in Week 12 after missing each of the team's last three games. It's big news for a team that recently had difficulty getting its passing game going.

For the season's first seven weeks, the Buccaneers ranked second in the NFL in dropback success rate at 53%. Over their last three games before the bye, Tampa Bay has dropped to 19th with a 46.3% success rate, just 0.1 percentage points better than the New York Giants' success rate over that same span.

Now, the Bucs get Evans back for a clash with New York in Week 12 with a chance to jump-start their season.

Mike Evans injury update

According to multiple reports, Evans will return in the Buccaneers' Week 12 game against the Giants.

The team had elected to keep the veteran off the injured reserve with their Week 11 bye approaching, and the decision appears to have paid off. Evans, who is 31 years old, had said he may have been able to play in Tampa Bay's Week 10 clash with the 49ers, but the team elected to play it safe.

With seven games left in the Buccaneers' season, Evans is 665 yards away from his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season. He'll recommence his attempt to match all-time great Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice's 11-year streak in New York for Week 12.

When was Mike Evans' injury?

Before the Buccaneers played their Week 7 "Monday Night Football" meeting with the Baltimore Ravens, they were 4-2 and tied for first place in the NFC South. It was during that Week 7 game that disaster struck.

First, Evans had to depart the game after diving to attempt a touchdown catch halfway through the second quarter. The 11th-year receiver had been trying to play through his tweaked hamstring issues and had already caught a 25-yard touchdown pass before aggravating his hamstring.

Then, the Buccaneers lost fellow receiver Chris Godwin for the year after he severely dislocated his ankle in the final seconds of the game. Godwin had been having a career year – he still leads the team in receptions and yards – before his season-ending injury.

Bucccaneers WR depth chart

Here's how the Buccaneers depth chart looked over the last four weeks:

• Sterling Shepard

• Jalen McMillan

• Trey Palmer

• Rakim Jarrett

• Ryan Miller

Tampa Bay lost both Evans and Godwin to significant injuries in its Week 7 loss to the Ravens, forcing the team to rely on receivers further down the depth chart and other pass-catchers for its last three games before the bye.

Tight end Cade Otton now leads the Buccaneers in targets this season with 70. Running backs Rachaad White (41) and Bucky Irving (28) have also been heavily involved in the passing game.

Behind Godwin (62) and Evans (45), the most-targeted receivers on the roster have been Sterling Shepard (25) and Jalen McMillan (22).

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Evans injury update: Will Buccaneers WR play this week?