Buccaneers Wide Receiver Named Potential Fantasy Sleeper in 2026

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers always had Mike Evans to play the No. 1 wide receiver role on their offense, but for the first time in 13 years, that's all changed. Evans is off to new adventures with the San Francisco 49ers, and with that, the No. 1 wide receiver role is up for grabs in Tampa Bay.

Fantasy football players probably don't like to hear that — it will be tough to discern which member of Tampa Bay's talented receiver corps gets the brunt of the targets before the season actually starts in 2026. ESPN's staff thinks it may have an idea, however, as it named one of Tampa Bay's wideouts as a fantasy sleeper in a recent article.

Chris Godwin Named Fantasy Sleeper for 2026

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. (14) makes a catch against Arizona Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

ESPN identified Chris Godwin as a potential fantasy sleeper, noting that he has the trust of Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield.

"Godwin isn't a trendy sleeper at this stage of his career, but his role looks more secure after Mike Evans signed with San Francisco. His 2025 season was slowed by recovery from a broken ankle, but Godwin still flashed late and has QB Baker Mayfield's trust. We have him projected for the second-most targets on the team behind Emeka Egbuka."

Interestingly enough, the prediction here is that Egbuka will get more targets than Godwin, which could very well be possible with the promise he is showing early on this year. But Godwin got the brunt of the reps during the first week of OTAs, and now that he's healthy and playing out of the slot, he could get more targets than a lot of people think in 2026.

Godwin was signed to a three-year, $66 million deal in 2025, with the third year written as a club option in his contract (making him a free agent after this season). Godwin came back in 2025 after a brutal ankle injury in 2024 that made him miss most of the season, but he was still recovering and missed eight games last year.

Godwin will hope to prove to the Bucs that he's worthy of that third year of his contract, and he'll look to prove to new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson that he's worthy of being a No. 1 receiver in this offense.

The second week of OTAs begins on Tuesday, and the final week will begin on the Tuesday after that. Godwin got some good work last week, so we'll be watching closely to see if the trend continues.

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