Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Eyeing return after Week 11 bye

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Evans (hamstring) said that he's optimistic that he'll be available to play Week 12 against the Giants on Nov. 24 following Tampa Bay's Week 11 bye, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. "Obviously, everybody knows the competitor that I am, and they know I want to be out there with my team and help us win ballgames," Evans said. "But I can't rush it, and I'll be back when I'm back, and hopefully that'll be after the bye week and I'll be myself."

Evans strained his right hamstring in an Oct. 21 loss to the Ravens and will miss his third game in a row Sunday against the 49ers, though he suggested that it "would have been close" for him to play this weekend if he had rehabbed the injury more aggressively. Instead, the Buccaneers elected to take a more cautious approach with Evans, who should be tracking toward a return if he's able to resume practicing in Week 12 without any setbacks. While both Evans and Chris Godwin (ankle) have been sidelined for the past two contests, tight end Cade Otton has emerged as more of a focal point in the passing game with 21 targets between those two games.