Team news: Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Page 76

Second-round wide receiver Sterling Shepard is in the best position to make a significant impact. The Giants targeted him early in the draft process as a wideout they liked, and coach Ben McAdoo sees him as a player he can use all over the formation in a variety of roles as a complement to star Odell Beckham Jr. With Rueben Randle gone and Victor Cruz still a major question mark as he attempts his comeback from knee and calf injuries, there's an opening for a No. 2 wide receiver in New York. Shepard will get every opportunity to lock down the role for the short and long term, and he has the skill set to do it.

The only thing standing in the way of a major role for Shepard is Cruz and his balky knee and calf. If Cruz looks like his old self, then the Giants will probably let Shepard grow into a larger role, but if Cruz doesn't have a great offseason then Shepard will be thrust into a major role immediately. He could fill the Randall Cobb role in Ben McAdoo's offense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

OUT
WR Vincent Jackson (knee), DT Akeem Spence (ankle)

DOUBTFUL
LB Bruce Carter (ankle)

QUESTIONABLE
DE George Johnson (calf), G Logan Mankins (ankle), DE Jacquies Smith (hamstring)

PROBABLE
LB Lavonte David (ankle), DT Gerald McCoy (hand)

St. Louis Rams

OUT
T Andrew Donnal (knee), DE Robert Quinn (back)

QUESTIONABLE
CB Eric Patterson (ankle)

PROBABLE
WR Kenny Britt (shoulder), RB Todd Gurley (not injury related), T Rob Havenstein (calf), CB Janoris Jenkins (concussion)

Related players: Mike Evans, Austin Seferian-Jenkins

With Jackson out, Mike Evans should see a ton of targets against the Rams. In the three games that V-Jax missed this year, Evans averaged 13.7 targets (for 6.3 catches and 110 yards). Evans averaged 8.6 targets in eight games with Jackson in the lineup. The Rams did contain Calvin Johnson last week, so a big game for Evans isn't a sure thing. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is also more appealing as a streaming option. Gerald McCoy is probable, which is bad news for Todd Gurley.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans was in a revealing mood on his Total Access show on the Buccaneers Radio Network last night. He explained that he injured his groin as a result of awkward movement because he couldn’t squeeze a perfectly thrown football.

“My groin, if I wouldn’t have dropped the pass I wouldn’t have hurt my groin,” Evans said. “Yeah, I dropped the pass and I turned before I secured the ball. And then the guy pushed me, and I tried to stop myself and it like tweaked up a little bit on me.

Evans also added that he injured his oblique muscles extending for a catch against Atlanta. “It felt kind of like my ribs were broken,” Evans said, but the sharp pain steadily subsided.

Evans isn't even on the injury report, so he must be close to full health. He has a great matchup with the Giants, who are #30 in WR aFPA after getting shredded by Drew Brees and Co. last week.