Good news for those who drafted Chris Godwin and James Robinson. They’re both looking like they’ll play in Week 1. Not that either is a player you’d want to put in a fantasy lineup just yet, but both appear to be ahead of schedule in their rehab.
Godwin, per reports, is practicing without a brace on his surgically repaired knee. The Bucs haven’t committed to having him active in Week 1, but the odds of him getting back to something close to 100 percent in October are seemingly improving. Godwin tore his ACL in Week 15 last year against the Saints.
If the Bucs can get Godwin (pictured) back to full strength, it will enhance their chances of maybe getting back to another Super Bowl. Over the last three years, he’s put up the 5th-best per-game numbers among wide receivers (using PPR scoring).
| PER-GAME RECEIVING STATS (last 3 years) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | St | No | Rec | Run | TD | PPR |
| Davante Adams | 42 | 7.6 | 93.4 | .0 | .82 | 21.9 |
| Cooper Kupp | 48 | 6.9 | 85.0 | 1.1 | .61 | 19.2 |
| Tyreek Hill | 43 | 5.9 | 78.4 | 5.6 | .77 | 18.9 |
| Justin Jefferson | 33 | 5.9 | 91.4 | .5 | .54 | 18.3 |
| Chris Godwin | 40 | 6.2 | 81.9 | .7 | .56 | 17.8 |
| Stefon Diggs | 48 | 6.1 | 81.0 | 1.3 | .50 | 17.3 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | 41 | 6.4 | 76.7 | .5 | .54 | 17.3 |
| Calvin Ridley | 33 | 5.6 | 76.4 | 1.1 | .57 | 16.7 |
| Keenan Allen | 46 | 6.7 | 72.4 | .3 | .44 | 16.7 |
| Mike Evans | 45 | 4.7 | 71.1 | .2 | .79 | 16.5 |
| Deebo Samuel | 38 | 4.4 | 68.4 | 14.5 | .56 | 16.0 |
| Robert Woods | 40 | 5.6 | 65.7 | 7.9 | .41 | 15.4 |
| Tyler Lockett | 48 | 5.3 | 68.5 | .1 | .54 | 15.4 |
| A.J. Brown | 43 | 4.3 | 69.7 | 1.6 | .60 | 15.1 |
| Adam Thielen | 38 | 4.5 | 54.4 | .6 | .82 | 15.0 |
| Julio Jones | 34 | 5.3 | 76.4 | -.1 | .29 | 14.7 |
| Diontae Johnson | 45 | 5.6 | 60.5 | 2.4 | .47 | 14.7 |
| Amari Cooper | 47 | 5.1 | 67.4 | .4 | .45 | 14.6 |
| DJ Moore | 47 | 5.2 | 75.0 | 2.3 | .26 | 14.5 |
| DK Metcalf | 49 | 4.4 | 64.7 | .3 | .60 | 14.5 |
Robinson, meanwhile, tore his Achilles in Week 16 last year and didn’t play at all in the preseason, but Doug Pederson says the running back will play in Week 1. Robinson indicated a few weeks back that he’s feeling good and looking forward to playing, but that the team was just being cautious with him.
Whether Robinson is quite the same player, however, remains to be seen. That’s a tough injury for a running back to try to come back from in less than a year.
Jacksonville likely will start and feature Travis Etienne. They also drafted Snoop Conner in the fifth round, and he was the No. 2 back (behind Etienne) for the entire preseason. Pederson tended to rotate his backs in Philadelphia, and it could be the same kind of situation here, with Etienne, Conner and Robinson all getting some touches.
But if Robinson is something close to his usual self, it shouldn’t take long before he’s handling a bigger role than Conner, with a chance to turn it into more of a one-two punch backfield. Robinson isn’t as fast as Etienne and doesn’t have the same versatility as a pass catcher, but he could be a more effective runner between the tackles.
—Ian Allan