With four games left and a playoff spot hanging in the balance, one of the best Tampa Bay Buccaneers of them all is returning to the fold.
Wide receiver Mike Evans is active for the Bucs’ Week 15 NFC South tilt against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.
Evans, along with fellow wide receiver Jalen McMillan, were activated off injured reserve Wednesday, but both were listed as questionable. Now both are active.
Evans has been sidelined since Week 7 with a broken collarbone.
Evans is set to play just his fifth game of the season after missing time earlier with a hamstring injury.
With just 140 yards on 14 receptions this season, Evans’ streak of 11 1,000-yard seasons will come to an end, but he can still help the Bucs win a fifth straight NFC South title.
Currently, the Bucs are tied atop the division with the Carolina Panthers and have lost four of five games, including last week’s loss at home to the New Orleans Saints.
With Evans bolstering a full arsenal of receivers that will see him, Chris Godwin, rookie Emeka Egbuka and McMillan on the field for the first time, perhaps Baker Mayfield and Co.
Tampa Bay (7-6) and visiting Atlanta (4-9) kick off Thursday night at 8:15 PM ET.