Can Chris Godwin Return to Fantasy Football Dominance With the Buccaneers?

Entering NFL free agency, Chris Godwin was expected to have a robust market, but the veteran wideout decided to re-sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers instead of joining a new team. Godwin's new contract is a three-year deal worth $66 million, and multiple reports suggest he took less money to remain in Tampa Bay.

Upon staying with the Buccaneers, Godwin is entering his ninth year with the organization, and he's recovering from a dislocated ankle he suffered in Week 7 of the 2024 campaign. Before suffering the injury, Godwin was on a torrid pace, recording 50 receptions, 576 receiving yards, and 5 receiving touchdowns on 62 targets across seven starts.

With Godwin returning to Tampa Bay, let's take a look at his injury prognosis and discuss his fantasy football outlook for the 2025 season.

Chris Godwin's Injury Prognosis

As mentioned above, Godwin sustained a dislocated ankle in Week 7 of last season, cutting his season short. If it weren't for his season-ending ankle injury, Godwin was trending toward being a league-winner in fantasy, slotting in as the WR2 overall and WR5 in fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats through the first seven weeks.

When Godwin's ankle injury occurred, head coach Todd Bowles said that the versatile receiver could make a return for the Bucs if they made a deep postseason run a campaign ago. Godwin also spoke about a return in the playoffs being a "best-case scenario," but that didn't come to fruition with Tampa Bay getting eliminated in the Wild Card Round.

Since the injury happened, we haven't gotten any information regarding Godwin's ankle besides the fact he underwent surgery. While it's undetermined if Godwin suffered any ligament damage or has had any setbacks in his recovery, the Bucs handing him a lucrative multi-year contract is a bit reassuring.

This isn't the first time Tampa Bay rewarded Godwin with a new contract following a season-ending injury as they signed him to a three-year, $60 million deal in 2022 after he sustained a torn ACL and sprained MCL in 2021. Godwin proceeded to put together back-to-back seasons with 83-plus receptions and 1,023-plus receiving yards in his first two years upon returning from his knee ailments.

Chris Godwin's Fantasy Football Outlook in 2025

Before diving into Godwin's outlook for next season, we need to talk a bit more about his performance from last season. In 2023, he posted his lowest slot rate since 2018, but Godwin jumped back up to a team-high 61.9% slot rate (per PFF) in 2024 under offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who has now departed to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As a result of Godwin returning to a slot-centric role in Coen's offense with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, he led the Buccaneers in target share (26.6%), receptions per game (7.1), receiving yards per game (82.3), and yards per route run (2.53) through seven weeks, via NextGenStats. Losing Coen could hurt Godwin's stock, but staying with the Bucs and having a rapport already built with Mayfield are positives for the experienced receiver.

Additionally, Tampa Bay replaced Coen with Josh Grizzard, who was the team's passing game coordinator in 2024. Hiring from within their own coaching staff at least provides us with some optimism that the Buccaneers' high-octane offense from last season won't look too different next fall.

Although there are still question marks surrounding Godwin's ankle, he will likely be ready for Week 1 of the 2025 campaign. Assuming there are no negative updates on Godwin's rehab this offseason, there's still a chance for him to be a top-25 performer at his position in fantasy football.

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