Devin White and Mike Evans Questionable for Week 1 After Bucs Are Hit by the Flu

The last thing the Buccaneers needed was for the status of a pair of their top players to be in doubt heading into the season opener, but that's just what they got.

Tampa Bay's first-round pick Devin White and star wide receiver Mike Evans are both listed as questionable for Week 1 due to illness after coming down with the flu.

It's unfortunate news for a team that's got a lot to prove at the outset of the year. Their first game, which will come against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, will give the fans their first look at the new era of the Bucs under head coach Bruce Arians.

But obviously if White, the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft, and Evans, one of the league's top wide receivers, aren't at full strength, the on-field product won't be nearly as good as expected.

Losing Evans in particular would be a brutal blow to the offense for Sunday's game. He's managed 1,000 or more receiving yards in each of his five seasons in the NFL, including an impressive 1,524-yard campaign in 2018.

The outbreak of the flu could also pose problems for weeks to come. Evans and White are just a couple of the players to get hit with it. This could be a problem that infects others and potentially lingers for some time. It's unlikely considering the cases have been isolated and players have rebounded fairly quickly, but the possibility still remains.

Hopefully this blows over and White and Evans are ready to go for the start of the 2019 season. Their teammates and their head coach are all counting on them.