Mike Evans is entering his 10th NFL season and looks to build upon his impressive career. After suiting up with Tom Brady the previous three years, Evans will be swashbuckling with new quarterback, Baker Mayfield. Transitioning from one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game to Baker Mayfield will have its growing pains. The drastic change was enough to mark the Tampa Bay Buccaneers having the worst odds to win the NFC South after winning back-to-back division titles. Not only that but they’re also projected to be a top-five draft selection in the 2024 NFL draft. How much will this affect Mike Evans and his fantasy season? Can Evans continue being an every-week starting option with Baker Mayfield or will he be forced to walk the plank?
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2023 Fantasy Football Player Profile: Mike Evans
Consistency Never Fails
Mike Evans holds the NFL record for most consecutive 1000-yard seasons to start a career. He’s accomplished this feat every single year he’s been in the league despite playing with five different starting quarterbacks. Adding on, Evans’ worst fantasy finish was WR23 and that was with rookie Jameis Winston back in 2015. In his nine-year career, Evans has been a top-12 PPR fantasy wide receiver four times and a top-24 the other five seasons. Tom Brady retired and now Evans will have a new passer under center. Will Mike Evans adjust to his new quarterback while extending his streak of 1000-yard seasons to ten and remain fantasy-relevant?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans has been a very consistent #fantasyfootball WR during his career. His worst finish was w/ a rookie Jameis Winston, yet still was a low end WR2. So why is he being drafted as a low end WR3 at WR31 this season? #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/Kx3ufusFI0
— Austin Thomas (@Austin_Thomas18) August 28, 2023
Mayfield Is a Useable Baking Ingredient
During his tenure as a member of the Cleveland Browns, Baker Mayfield had some success with his top receiver. He helped Jarvis Landry on his way to a top-12 and top-24 fantasy finish in PPR formats. Mayfield also had one season where he had two 1000-yard wide receivers, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. Mayfield produced three players to go over 200 PPR fantasy points as well. That’s good news for Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Over Mayfield’s four-year stint with Cleveland, there was only one season, his final, where his WR1 finished outside the top 36. However, that was mainly due to Jarvis Landry only playing in 12 games that season. It’s not as bad as advertised with Baker Mayfield, at least in fantasy football.
Before you say Baker Mayfield is bad for WRs, he actually wasn't horrible when he was Cleveland starter📍Every WR1 averaged >11 PPG
📍Supported TWO 1000-yard WRs in a single season
📍Top12 Finisher & Top24 Finisher
📍3 WRs to score >200 PPR points
📍Evans&Godwin > Landry&Beckham pic.twitter.com/kWiPh0kf9i— Austin Thomas (@Austin_Thomas18) August 29, 2023
Hidden Treasure At ADP
When evaluating a draft board, identifying values and selecting players that’ll produce for your team is important. Drafting a wide receiver going in the low WR3 range that’s never finished outside of a WR2 is good value. Then you have the pursuit of breaking records. Evans has his mind set on breaking Jerry Rice’s record of 11-straight 1000-yard seasons. He won’t let Baker Mayfield, nor anyone for that matter, stand in his way of that. With every fantasy selection, there is risk, but Mike Evans is worth the gamble. There have been receivers in the NFL tabbed as “QB proof”, so why can’t Mike Evans be the next? At WR31, fantasy managers shouldn’t have any issues pressing “draft” and sliding Mike Evans into their lineups this fall.
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