Mike Evans has been sidelined for what feels like forever. But with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading into Thursday Night Football after an unexpected 24-20 Week 14 loss to the New Orleans Saints, all eyes are on him. Will he play tonight against the Atlanta Falcons? And that’s where the conversation begins.

Evans hasn’t taken the field since the Bucs’ 24-9 Week 7 loss to the Detroit Lions, when a broken collarbone ended his night (and sidelined him for a month). The encouraging news, though, is that his practice window opened on Dec. 3 ahead of Week 14, which technically cleared the door for a return. But the only catch is that Tampa Bay still hasn’t said whether he’ll suit up.

However, given how this week has unfolded for both the Bucs and Evans, it feels like we might see him back on the field. And the logic is pretty straightforward. First, Evans is officially listed as questionable for Thursday after Tampa Bay activated him from injured reserve. Second, Todd Bowles made it clear that Evans showed everything he needed to show in practice to be eligible to play against Atlanta.

“They looked good. They looked fresh. I mean, they ran great routes and looked like they never left. Obviously, they haven’t been hit or anything yet, but they looked good in practice.”

That’s usually coach-speak for he’s close.

If Evans does return tonight, he’s walking into a passing game that desperately needs a spark. Ever since he went down with that broken collarbone, the Bucs’ air attack has been… well, mid. In the six games without him, Baker Mayfield has thrown for 955 yards, completing 100 of 172 passes (a 58.1% completion rate) with just 7 touchdowns. That averages out to 159.2 yards per game and only 5.5 yards per attempt.

And the root cause isn’t exactly a mystery. Evans has played only four games this season, thanks first to a hamstring issue and then the collarbone break. Remove the team’s leading receiver from any offense, and things are going to slip. So with Week 15 just hours away, all signs suggest Evans is gearing up for a return against the Falcons. We now await the official word from Bowles and his team.

Mike Evans’ injuries this season and fantasy advice vs the Falcons

The Buccaneers have lost four of their last five and now find themselves in a real dogfight with the Carolina Panthers for the division. And one of the many reasons is Mike Evans’ injury. He first went down with a hamstring in Week 3 against the New York Jets and missed three games. Yes, he did come back for Week 7’s Monday Night game vs. the Lions; no denying it.

But he suffered a concussion late in the first quarter and was later diagnosed with a broken clavicle. He’s been sidelined ever since. That leaves him with just four appearances, 14 catches for 140 yards, and one TD on the season. Now that Evans is expected to be active vs. the Falcons, the fantasy angle matters. SB Nation had him pegged as a top-40 ADP, and a 79.6% rostership shows managers held faith all season instead of cutting bait. So the real question is: start or sit?

CBS Sports’ JP Acosta notes that Mayfield’s numbers climb when Evans plays: 0.12 EPA per dropback, a 48.4% success rate, and a 10.3% explosive-pass rate, all notably higher than his marks without Evans, which argues strongly for starting him. Plus, Thursday night has historically been a good spot for Evans. He averages 5.2 catches and 71.4 yards in 11 career games on Thursday nights. So, if any matchup could justify bringing him back, tonight’s fits the bill. We’ll see if the Bucs trust the recovery enough to plug him in.

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