Fantasy Football Implications of Injuries to Mike Evans and Nico Collins: Add Cade Otton, Dalton Schultz and More

Week 7 had two Monday night games, and there were some notable fantasy football takeaways from the contests.

There were also two injuries to big-name wide receivers that we'll discuss here.

Fantasy football injury news can be found all season on FantasySP.

Mike Evans to Miss Extended Time

Evans was injured while attempting to make a diving catch in the second quarter of the team's game against the Lions. He suffered a concussion, but a broken clavicle is what will keep him out for most of the remainder of this regular season.

It's a massive blow to a Tampa Bay offense that's been devastated by injuries. Evans had already missed time this season, and Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka have all been banged up at receiver too. Running back Bucky Irving has missed several games too.

With Evans out, Egbuka should remain as the team's top wideout the rest of the season. He was already serving that role with Evans healthy, but now there's no question that he'll lead the way.

Godwin missed time at the start of the season, then played just two games before getting injured again. The offense would get a big boost if they got the veteran back, and it would help take some attention off Egbuka.

There's two guys who could really step up with Evans out. One is tight end Cade Otton, and the other is receiver Tez Johnson.

Otton has come on strong of late, while Johnson has taken advantage of some extra opportunities the past couple weeks.

I'd make Otton my priority, especially because he's at the tougher fantasy spot to find talent. He's got some tougher matchups ahead, but out of necessity, I see the veteran tight end being a pretty solid fantasy asset.

Otton is at 53% rostered, and that should jump way up before the Bucs play their next game. He'll at least be a deep-league starter going forward, and I think he could stick as a standard league starter too. He should be near the top of your week 8 waiver wire priority list.

Johnson is rostered in just 28% of leagues, but that will increase after the news about Evans. He also was the top fantasy performer for Tampa Bay on Monday, so that will help his ownership grow too.

Even if he's the No. 3 pass catcher behind Egbuka and Otton, Johnson could deliver some solid fantasy scores the rest of the season. He's at least worth adding in some deeper leagues, and he could be a standard league threat until Godwin returns.

McMillan could also be an option, but his return has been pushed back to at least December, so the opportunities will be there for Otton and Johnson for the next several weeks.

Sterling Shepard is a sneaky good deep-league fantasy asset for the next several weeks, at least in my eyes. He only played three less snaps than Johnson on Monday, and he was targeted seven times.

Shepard is worth an add in some deeper leagues, and on weeks where several teams are on byes, he could be a starting option. At least consider him until Irving returns.

Speaking of Irving, Rachaad White should continue to power the backfield until Irving is back. When Irving returns, I wouldn't immediately drop White, as he could factor in as a pass catcher with the team down so many bodies - I also wouldn't be surprised if they manage Irving's workload too.

While Baker Mayfield struggled on Monday, I think that performance was an outlier. I like him as a fantasy asset going forward still. Now could be a nice time to buy low on Mayfield.

Nico Collins Dealing with Concussion

In the other game, Collins struggled before leaving with a concussion as well. On a short week, it could be difficult for him to be cleared in time to play, so I'll briefly go over who to add in case Collins were to miss week 8.

Collins is the team's go-to pass catcher, and with Tank Dell out for the season, nobody has really stepped up at receiver. 

Jaylin Noel was the top option outside Collins on Monday, catching four of his seven targets for 77 yards. He'd be the receiver I'd most want to add if Collins is out.

Xavier Hutchinson had a 13-yard catch across four targets. Jayden Higgins didn't catch any of his three targets. Braxton Berrios had a catch across three targets, but lost a yard.

So Noel is the Houston wideout to target going into week 8. If Collins misses the game, Noel should get plenty of standard league starts - he should start in all deeper leagues, even if Collins is playing.

Hutchinson is who I'd target next if Collins is out, but I'd only want to play him in deeper leagues. The same goes for Higgins, but he's a notch below Hutchinson, and neither are that good of options, even with Collins out. I'd avoid Berrios - I just don't see him contributing much, even if Collins and others missed the game.

A player I'd really want to add is tight end Dalton Schultz. He went for 98 yards on nine catches and 10 targets. 

He's been trending up over the past few weeks, and definitely needs to be added now with Collins' status in question. At a weak tight end spot, Schultz is already a pretty solid option, and if Collins were out, Schultz could star.

He needs to be starting in deeper leagues in week 8, and with six teams on byes, Schultz could be a starting option in standard leagues.

In the backfield, Woody Marks seems to have overtaken Nick Chubb, although neither did much on Monday. Both could factor in if the Texans are without Collins in week 8, so keep that in mind.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud would also take a hit if Collins were ruled out. Stroud looks like a deep-league option at best right now, so this really doesn't change a lot for him.