Evans enters the season with the least confidence Fantasy managers have had about him since he first broke out. An uncertain quarterback position is one of the problems; going from Tom Brady and the excellent rapport they'd built to a veteran retread like Baker Mayfield or a mid-round dart throw like Kyle Trask is troubling. What's more troubling is how far Evans' production fell off in 2022. He earned just the 37th-highest target share and the 22nd-most red-zone targets in the league. And it's not like he should've gotten more targets - he was just 33rd in yards per route run. Evans feels like a name-inflated WR3 who is going off the board in Rounds 7-8.
Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Scores twice in Week 12 loss
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Evans brought in six of nine targets for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers' 27-20 loss to the Colts on Sunday.
Evans was in the familiar position of leading the Buccaneers in receptions, receiving yards and targets, and he rounded out his afternoon with touchdown grabs of one and 23 yards. The big-bodied receiver now has four touchdowns in his last three contests, and he's been at Sunday's yardage tally or higher in three of the last four contests overall. Evans, who's now just 150 yards away from his 10th straight 1,000-yard campaign, next takes aim at the division-rival Panthers in a Week 13 home matchup.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Hauls in red-zone TD in loss
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Evans caught five of 12 targets for 43 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 27-14 loss to the 49ers.
The veteran receiver was on the other end of a one-yard TD toss from Baker Mayfield right before halftime, but it was otherwise a tough day for Evans despite the fact that he saw a season high in targets. He's been his usual productive self in 2023, scoring seven touchdowns in 10 games including four in the last five contests, and Evans is on pace for his fifth career season with double-digit scores as well as his best receiving yards total since 2018.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Practices in full Thursday
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Evans (quadriceps) logged a full practice Thursday.
After beginning Week 11 prep with a capped session due to a quad injury Wednesday, Evans was able to work fully one day later. He's thus ready to take on a 49ers defense Sunday that has conceded the third-most catches (141) to opposing wide receivers in nine games this season. Evans himself has 43 receptions in the same number of appearances, making him a good bet to continue to produce.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Standout effort in Week 10 win
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Evans brought in six of 10 targets for 143 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 20-6 win over the Titans on Sunday.
Evans led the Buccaneers in receptions, receiving yards and targets by a wide margin, and he narrowly missed out on a two-touchdown day due to a rare second-half drop in the end zone. However, he more than made up for it, not just with his 22-yard scoring grab late in the third quarter, but via his standout yardage total as well, which qualified as his second highest of the campaign. Evans has now scored in three of the past four contests and therefore carries ample momentum into a Week 11 road showdown against the 49ers.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Sets pace in receiving yards
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Evans secured four of five targets for 87 yards in the Buccaneers' 39-37 loss to the Texans on Sunday. He also recovered a fumble.
Evans led the Buccaneers in receiving yards on the afternoon, but his volume was down overall on a day when Baker Mayfield spread the around to seven targets. The veteran wideout gained a big chunk of his yards on a 53-yard grab in the fourth quarter that was originally ruled a touchdown before replay determined Evans had been down before breaking the plane of the goal line. Evans' yardage total was his highest since Week 2, and although his two-game touchdown streak was narrowly snapped, he could have a good chance of getting back in the end zone in a favorable Week 10 home matchup against the Titans.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Salvages night with score
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Evans secured three of six targets for 39 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 24-18 loss to the Bills on Thursday night.
The perennial Pro Bowler was contained effectively by the Bills secondary most of the contest, with his 24-yard scoring grab with 2:44 remaining preventing his night from being a washout on the fantasy end. Evans' reception total tied for his lowest of the season, and he accrued what represented his fewest yards in any game thus far in 2023 as well. Evans does now have a touchdown in five of seven games, a favorable pattern he'll look to extend at the expense of the Texans in a Week 9 road matchup on Sunday, Nov. 5.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Tallies fourth touchdown
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Evans recorded six receptions on eight targets for 82 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 16-13 loss to the Falcons.
Evans was out-targeted by Chris Godwin in a full game for the first time this season, though that didn't prevent him from having a strong performance. He delivered a 40-yard touchdown reception deep down the left sideline on Tampa Bay's second offensive possession and also chipped in a 16-yard reception in the second quarter to account for the majority of his production. Though Evans has only one 100-yard performance this season, he now has four touchdowns and has at least eight targets in five of his six games.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Disappoints despite 10 targets
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Evans recorded four receptions on 10 targets for 49 yards in Sunday's 20-6 loss to the Lions.
Evans returned from a hamstring injury after Tampa Bay's bye, an issue that cost him the second half of the team's Week 4 matchup against the Saints. After displaying strong rapport with Baker Mayfield early this season, the duo was off in this matchup, as Evans dropped an open target that hit him in the hands, while a pass that could have gone for a potentially long gain was deflected at the line of scrimmage and resulted in an interception. Though it was a disappointing outcome, Evans remains the top target of Mayfield, as he tallied 10 targets compared to Chris Godwin's seven.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Gains clearance for Week 6
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Evans (hamstring) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Lions.
Evans tweaked his hamstring in the Buccaneers' Week 4 win over the Saints, but a well-timed Week 5 bye appears to have allowed the veteran wideout to make enough progress in his recovery to return to action without missing any games. The 30-year-old steadily increased his practice activity throughout the week, advancing from no participation Wednesday to limited work Thursday before taking every rep in Friday's session. He should be able to take on a normal snap count Sunday while Tampa Bay takes aim at a Detroit secondary that will be without one of its top three cornerbacks in Emmanuel Moseley (knee), who suffered a season-ending ACL tear last week.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Expected to play
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Coach Todd Bowles said Friday that Evans (hamstring) is a "full go" for Sunday's game against the Lions, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Evans returned to a limited practice Thursday before upgrading to full participation Friday. He's on track to play, with the biggest question at this point being whether the Bucs officially list him as questionable or simply remove him from the final injury report Friday afternoon.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Returns to limited practice
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Evans (hamstring) officially was a limited practice participant Thursday.
Per Greg Auman of Fox Sports, Evans didn't make an appearance in the portion of Thursday's session open to the media, but the veteran wide receiver evidently logged some on-field work at some point. Auman also noted that coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday that the key day for Evans during Week 6 prep will be Friday with regard to the hamstring injury that has lingered since he got injured Week 4. Consequently, how Evans is listed on Friday's practice report will be key for his potential to play Sunday against the Lions.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Sits out another practice
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Evans (hamstring) won't participate in Thursday's practice, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
A hamstring injury forced Evans out early in the Buccaneers' Week 4 win over the Saints, and despite having a Week 5 bye to continue healing, the wideout still isn't fully healthy. He's now missed both of the Buccaneers' first two practices of Week 6, though head coach Todd Bowles said that what Evans is able to do Friday in terms of running will be more telling with regard to his chances of playing Sunday against the Lions. If Evans needs more time to recover from the injury and sits out Sunday, Chris Godwin would be locked in as the Buccaneers' No. 1 wide receiver, while tight end Cade Otton, running back Rachaad White and wideouts Trey Palmer, Deven Thompkins and Rakim Jarrett could benefit from expanded pass-catching roles.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Sits out practice to begin week
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Evans (hamstring) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.
Even with the benefit of a Week 5 bye, Evans hasn't made any visible progress through the hamstring injury that forced him to exit early from the Buccaneers' last game Oct. 1 at New Orleans. Prior to his departure, he had put together a 20-337-3 line on 31 targets in three-and-a-half games, putting him on pace for yet another 1,000-yard campaign. Evans will have two more opportunities to get back on the practice field before the team potentially makes a ruling on his availability ahead of Sunday's game against the Lions.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Dealing with tweaked hamstring
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Head coach Todd Bowles said Monday that Evans tweaked his hamstring during Sunday's game but didn't provide any further updates, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Evans caught all three of his targets for 40 yards before leaving the game in the second quarter. It looked like he was going to try and return for the second half, but he was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the contest. While Bowles' comments weren't extensive, they do offer fantasy managers a bit of optimism, as it appears Evans' injury isn't a long-term issue. With Tampa Bay on bye Week 5, Evans should have ample time to rest and recover before the team needs to post another update.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Ruled out for rest of game
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Evans (hamstring) was downgraded to out and won't return to Sunday's game against the Saints, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.
Evans recorded three receptions for 40 yards on three targets before exiting the contest in the second quarter with the hamstring injury. According to Patrick Magee of The New Orleans Times-Picayune, Evans received treatment on the sideline after suffering the injury in anticipation that he might be ready to return for the second half of the contest, but he ultimately didn't feel well enough to continue. The Buccaneers are on bye Week 5, so Evans will have extra time to heal in advance of the team's next game Oct. 15 versus the Lions.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Tending to hamstring issue
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Evans exited Sunday's game at New Orleans due to a hamstring injury.
It's unclear how Evans suffered his current health concern, but he had three catches (on three targets) for 40 yards prior to his departure late in the second quarter. In Evans' absence, Trey Palmer, Deven Thompkins and Rakim Jarrett should see increased involvement in the Buccaneers offense alongside Chris Godwin.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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It's OK to start Evans with lowered expectations given Lattimore and the Saints' history of keeping him locked up. It's also OK to start Chris Godwin with higher expectations since he has 13-plus PPR points in 5 of his past 7 against the Saints and will almost certainly see easier matchups. Should managers start Evans over Godwin? That feels a little risky. But starting Zay Flowers, Jordan Addison, Tank Dell or Christian Kirk over Evans carries enough upside to make it worth considering.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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I'm still ranking Evans as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver, and it's hard to bench him in most formats given his start to the season with Baker Mayfield. Evans has a touchdown in three games in a row, and he's scored at least 17.0 PPR points in each outing against Minnesota, Chicago and Philadelphia. But Evans has a brutal history against the Saints and cornerback Marshon Lattimore, which is something to be wary of in this matchup. As Adam Aizer pointed out on our Fantasy Football Today podcast, in 10 games against Lattimore Evans has scored more than 12.8 PPR points just once. He has scored in single digits in PPR in five of those 10 games, and he has more than 64 yards only twice. You can check my rankings to see which receivers I would start ahead of Evans, but he's just barely ranked as a No. 2 Fantasy option this week based on the matchup.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Finds end zone in loss
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Evans secured five of 10 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 25-11 loss to the Eagles on Monday night.
Evans was in the customary position of leading the Buccaneers in receptions, receiving yards and targets, and the talented wideout also was on the receiving end of Baker Mayfield's only touchdown toss of the night on a one-yard slant early in the fourth quarter. The multi-time Pro Bowler has clearly been Mayfield's favorite target through three games, even as Monday night's catch and receiving yardage totals were season lows. Evans next sets his sights on long-time archnemesis Marshon Lattimore and a tough Saints defense, which await in a Week 4 divisional matchup.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Stellar numbers in hard-fought win
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Evans secured six of eight targets for 171 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 27-17 win over the Bears on Sunday.
Evans exploded for his second-highest yardage total since the 2020 season, with a 70-yard catch-and-run play that kicked off the Buccaneers' third possession serving as one of his main highlights of the afternoon. While Evans ran out of gas before reaching the end zone on that play, he made up for it with a key 32-yard scoring grab in the latter portion of the third quarter that extended a 13-10 lead. Evans and Baker Mayfield have flashed excellent chemistry over their first two games, as the multi-time Pro Bowl receiver will go into a Week 3 home matchup against the Eagles on Monday, Sept. 25 with a 12-237-2 line on 18 targets this season.
