Is Mike Evans playing vs. Falcons? Buccaneers make call on star WR

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers knew that star receiver Mike Evans would be a slow burn in his return from a broken collarbone.

But after being involved in practice over the last week, excitement was building that Evans might return against the Atlanta Falcons tonight to kick off Week 15.

While there were positive comments from head coach Todd Bowles on Evans this week, we still weren't sure if Evans would take his place, given that it is a short week.

But as the Buccaneers dropped their inactives list, Evans wasn't on it. So that's a good sign.

And then the Buccaneers' social media team confirmed what we all had hoped.

No. 13 is a full go tonight.

M1K3 & J MAC ARE BACK ‼️ pic.twitter.com/cvcF3lcsyV

More: Coach predicts NFC South picture to 'change' due to 1 key Buccaneers player

How much will Evans play vs. Falcons?

Well, one thing is for sure (we think), that Evans won't be playing a full 60 snaps against the Falcons.

And even offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard stated Evans could follow a similar path to Chris Godwin, who was on a snap count for his first game back.

So, we can likely expect Evans to play roughly 25-ish snaps tonight. 

Of course, game script will also be a big factor. If the Buccaneers are down three going into the fourth quarter, No. 13 will want to be on the field more often than not.

After weeks of waiting, we finally get to see Evans on an NFL field again as Week 15 opens up with a huge NFC South showdown.

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• Will Mike Evans play in Week 14? Latest injury updates on Buccaneers WR
• When is Mike Evans coming back? Injury update, return timeline for Buccaneers WR