McMillan, Shepard, Top Fantasy Waiver-Wire WR After Chris Godwin, Mike Evans Injuries

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a costly defeat against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, as their top two wide receivers went down with injuries.

Mike Evans aggravated a hamstring injury he had been dealing with throughout the week during the second quarter, and he did not return to the game.

Meanwhile, Chris Godwin was lost in the closing seconds of the game with Bucs head coach Todd Bowles saying he suffered a dislocated ankle, per ESPN's Jenna Laine.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday morning that Godwin will undergo surgery this week "and is expected to make a full recovery for 2025." Before Godwin's official diagnosis, ESPN's Adam Schefter posted on X that a dislocated ankle would mean the veteran wideout's season is over.

With Godwin likely out for the year and Evans potentially poised to miss some time as well, here is a rundown of the top wide receivers worth targeting on your fantasy football league waiver wire this week.

Although he has been used sparingly so far this season, Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan could be the biggest beneficiary in the absence of Godwin and possibly Evans.

The third-round pick out of Washington caught a 32-yard touchdown pass in Week 1, but in the four games he has appeared in since then, he has a total of just five catches for 42 yards and no scores.

McMillan's stat line from Monday's loss to Baltimore wasn't great, as he finished with three receptions for 15 yards and one carry for 11 yards, but he was third on the team in targets with eight behind only Godwin and tight end Cade Otton.

While McMillan still has to prove he can be a productive starting wide receiver in the NFL, the opportunity he is likely about to acquire is impossible to ignore from a fantasy perspective.

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield is second in the NFL this season with 1,859 passing yards, and while he will undoubtedly look toward Otton and his running backs, McMillan is in line to be his WR1 for as long as Evans and Godwin are out, and that carries significant value.

Yahoo Roster Percentage: 2%

If McMillan is the exciting, new sports car poised to take on a bigger role in the Tampa Bay offense, Sterling Shepard is the old, reliable sedan.

The 31-year-old Shepard is in the midst of his ninth NFL season, and his first with the Bucs after spending his first eight campaigns as a member of the New York Giants.

Selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft out of Oklahoma, Shepard had some highly productive seasons with the G-Men, including five straight seasons to start his career with at least 57 receptions and 575 receiving yards.

However, injuries limited Shepard to just seven games in 2021 and three games in 2022, and despite appearing in 15 games last season, he was very much on the outs in New York, catching only 10 passes for 57 yards and one touchdown.

Serving mostly as a WR3 or WR4 in the Tampa offense, Shepard has only eight grabs for 93 yards and a score in five games this season, but he should see the field far more often if Godwin and Evans are out.

While McMillan is the more explosive option with a much higher ceiling, Shepard has a higher floor and should at least be worth FLEX consideration in point-per-reception leagues.

Yahoo Roster Percentage: 0%

Many questioned the Buffalo Bills' decision to trade out of the first round of the 2024 NFL draft and select Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman with the first pick of the second round, but the move has largely paid dividends thus far.

Coleman is 35th in the NFL and third among rookie wide receivers in receiving yardage this season with 326 yards, placing him ahead of the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, Xavier Worthy and a host of others.

He has also scored two touchdowns and racked up that yardage on only 16 catches, placing him third in the league in yards per reception with 20.4.

Coleman has been quarterback Josh Allen's big-play threat, and although there was some thought that the rookie would move down the pecking order after Buffalo acquired veteran wideout Amari Cooper in a trade with the Cleveland Browns last week, that wasn't the case.

Even with Cooper in the lineup, Coleman led all Bills players with 125 receiving yards on four catches, picking up big chunks of yardage in a 34-10 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Coleman isn't going to be a PPR monster, but he can rack up yardage quickly, and the presence of Cooper figures to keep him in one-on-one situations in a quality offense.

Yahoo Roster Percentage: 33%

Much like the Buccaneers, the San Francisco 49ers are dealing with significant injury issues at wide receiver, which could allow some depth wideouts to ascend into starting roles.

Brandon Aiyuk has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL suffered during Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, while Deebo Samuel was admitted to a hospital Sunday night due to pneumonia.

Aiyuk's injury means a starting role is up for grabs for the remainder of the season, and if he is healthy, that job will almost certainly go to Jauan Jennings.

Jennings is in the midst of his fourth season with the 49ers, and despite being behind both Aiyuk and Samuel on the depth chart, and missing this past week's game with a hip injury, he is 19th in the NFL with 404 receiving yards.

Much of Jennings' production this season came in one game against the Los Angeles Rams when Samuel was out, as he racked up 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns.

He isn't going to do that every week, but he now has a clear path to more playing time and has already shown that he has a rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy.

It is possible Jennings won't play in Week 8, but the Niners are hoping to have him back for a Sunday night game against the Dallas Cowboys, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner.

Even with some uncertainty regarding his Week 8 status, Jennings should be added in all leagues since he will be a starter in an explosive offense for the remainder of the season.

Yahoo Roster Percentage: 31%

After largely disappointing in his first three NFL seasons, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman finally seems to be coming into his own.

Entering this season, Bateman's career highs were 46 receptions, 515 yards and two touchdowns, but he already has 21 catches for 394 yards and three touchdowns through only seven games this season.

His 394 receiving yards rank 21st in the NFL, and he trails Zay Flowers by only 18 yards for the team lead in receiving.

Bateman finally seems to have a connection with quarterback Lamar Jackson, especially over the past three weeks. Bateman has delivered games of 4/58/1, 4/71/0 and 4/121/1 during the stretch, establishing himself as a big-play threat.

The 2021 first-round pick out of Minnesota is averaging 18.8 yards per catch this season and appears to be benefiting from Baltimore's dominant running game spearheaded by Derrick Henry.

Henry's excellence has opened things up significantly in the passing game, and while Flowers and tight end Mark Andrews are reaping some of the benefits, Bateman should not be forgotten in that equation.

Despite being right on par with Flowers in terms of production, Bateman is rostered in far fewer leagues, but that needs to change.

Yahoo Roster Percentage: 18%