There’s both good and bad news for the Bucs on the injury front coming out of their Week 11 bye, which can be looked at in a couple of different ways.

The glass-half-full view is that even if they’re dealing with some new injuries heading into their Week 12 game against the Giants at MetLife Stadium, at least they’re getting two key starters back. As for the glass-half-empty view, it’s simply par for the course that as soon as Tampa Bay gets two key starters back in the lineup for a crucial stretch run, it has to deal with a couple of other big absences.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

No one can tell you which view to take, but what we can do is give you a full view of the Bucs’ Week 12 inactives. They will be getting future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans and starting cornerback Jamel Dean back for the first time in weeks, which is a huge boost. But Pro Bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs and standout rookie nickelback Tykee Smith are the names headlining the inactives list this week.

Wirfs suffered a knee injury in the Bucs’ Week 10 loss to the 49ers, but all things considered, they got good news about the timetable for his return. He was already a limited participant in practice this week and came into the weekend with a “questionable” tag before being downgraded to “doubtful” on Saturday. Swing tackle Justin Skule is expected to replace Wirfs in the starting lineup.

As for Smith, he’s dealing with a knee injury and was already listed as “doubtful” heading into the weekend. He was then downgraded to “out” on Saturday at the same time the Bucs announced Wirfs’ downgrade and the practice squad elevation of linebacker Vi Jones.

In other positive news, though, the Bucs will have starting cornerback Zyon McCollum in action after he picked up a hamstring injury in Week 10. He was a full participant in Friday’s practice.

Here’s the full list of Tampa Bay’s inactives for Sunday’s game against the Giants at MetLife Stadium:

Giants’ Week 12 Inactives vs. Bucs

Giants WR Malik Nabers Photo by: USA Today

Though the Giants come into action on Sunday at 2-8, they’re at least relatively healthy. Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers was a question mark coming into the weekend due to a groin injury, but he is active and good to go. That means new starting quarterback Tommy DeVito will have his top weapon to work with against the Bucs’ struggling secondary.

The other positive news on the injury front for New York is that outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux was activated from injured reserve this week. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 Draft hasn’t played since Oct. 6. He has 12 tackles (eight solo) and two sacks in five games this season. His return gives the Giants’ already-formidable pass rush another key element for Sunday’s matchup against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay offense.

Here’s a list of the Giants’ inactives for Sunday’s game against the Bucs: