Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Solid numbers in season-ending loss
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Evans brought in six of 11 targets for 74 yards in the Buccaneers' 31-14 wild-card loss to the Cowboys on Monday night. He also caught a two-point conversion.
Evans finished third in receptions and tied for second in receiving yards and targets on the night for the Buccaneers, a solid finish to an up-and-down season. He finished the regular campaign with 77 receptions for 1,124 yards and six touchdowns across 15 games, with half of his scores coming in a Week 17 win over the Panthers that locked up an NFC South title for the Bucs. While Evans, who'll be 30 when next season begins, has a cap hit of just under $24 million for 2023, he'd also carry a dead cap hit of over $21 million if released. As a result he's expected to once again play a key role for Tampa Bay, although Tom Brady's NFL future remains an unknown as the offseason begins.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Practices in full Thursday
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Evans (illness) was a full practice participant Thursday.
After hauling in 10 of 12 targets for 207 yards and three touchdowns to help the Buccaneers clinch the NFC South with a win against the Panthers in Week 17, Evans didn't log a snap before being ruled out due to an illness this past Sunday in Atlanta. With the benefit of three days to rest and recover, though, he managed to log every rep during Tampa Bay's first practice in advance of Monday's wild-card game against the Cowboys. As a result, Evans will join forces with Chris Godwin as the top wide receivers available to quarterback Tom Brady.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Won't return to Sunday's game
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Evans won't return to Sunday's game against the Falcons due to an illness.
Prior to his exit from the contest, Evans didn't catch a pass. The wideout will thus target a return to action next weekend, when the Buccaneers open their playoff slate.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Three-touchdown tally in key win
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Evans brought in 10 of 12 targets for 207 yards and three touchdowns in the Buccaneers' 30-24 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Evans seemingly took out a season's worth of frustration in one afternoon on an undermanned Panthers secondary, finding pay dirt down the right sideline from 63, 57 and 30 yards out. The latter two scores came in the fourth quarter and allowed the Buccaneers to overcome an 11-point deficit, and both the reception and receiving yardage totals served as season highs. Evans' touchdowns were also his first since Week 4, and he'll now aim to build some additional momentum ahead of the postseason in a Week 18 road matchup against the Falcons.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Three catches in OT win
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Evans brought in three of eight targets for 29 yards in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.
It was shaping up as another highly inefficient night for the Tom Brady-Evans connection until the duo got cooking at the most critical time of the game. Evans recorded two catches for 24 yards in the Buccaneers' game-winning drive in overtime, helping somewhat salvage an otherwise disappointing night that saw him as the intended target on both of Brady's interceptions. Evans did cross the 900-yard mark for the season with Sunday's production, and he'll aim to eclipse the 1,000-yard threshold for the ninth time in as many pro seasons during a pivotal Week 17 home clash against the Panthers.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: WRs to Start
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Evans is on pace for his ninth straight 1,000-yard season with 888 yards through 13 games, and it feels like Tom Brady is trying to get Evans the yards he needs as soon as possible. Evans had 10 targets in Week 15 against Cincinnati, which was his most since Week 9, and he finished with five catches for 83 yards. He had not been above 59 receiving yards since Week 8, so hopefully Evans can finish the season strong. Now, he's still stuck on three touchdowns and hasn't scored since Week 4, but I like him as a No. 2 receiver against the Cardinals in Week 16. Arizona has allowed five receivers to score at least 14 PPR points in the past four games, and Evans and Chris Godwin should both be productive in this matchup.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Tied for team lead in yards
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Evans had five receptions on 10 targets for 83 yards in Sunday's 34-23 loss to Cincinnati.
Evans finished tied for the team lead in receiving yards with fellow starter Chris Godwin (8/83/1), but it was the latter who was the recipient of one of Tom Brady's trio of touchdown passes. Evans is on pace for his ninth straight 1,000-yard season with 888 yards through 13 contests, but the shocking lack of touchdowns (three) have held him back in the fantasy rankings this year. Evans will look to get right in a soft matchup against Arizona's porous secondary in Week 16.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: WRs to Sit
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Evans is still worth starting in three-receiver leagues, but it's getting harder to even justify that. He's scored 10 PPR points or less in five games in a row, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 4. In his past three games against Cleveland, New Orleans and San Francisco, Evans has a combined 10 catches for just 134 yards. This won't be an easy matchup against the Bengals, who are No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Only one receiver has scored against Cincinnati since Week 9. I still like Chris Godwin as a No. 2 receiver in the majority of leagues, but Evans is no longer a must-start option in two-receiver formats.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Scoring drought continues
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Evans caught four of nine targets for 44 yards in Sunday's 35-7 loss to the 49ers.
He tied Chris Godwin for the team lead in targets, but Evans wasn't able to do much with that volume. Evans has gone five straight games without reaching 60 yards and nine straight without getting into the end zone, a baffling streak for a wideout who has scored double-digit TDs in a season four separate times in his career, including a career-high 14 just last year. Evans will look to end his touchdown drought Week 15 against the Bengals.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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I hope this is the week that Evans snaps out of his slump, but it's hard to trust him as anything more than a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 4, and he's been held to under 60 yards receiving in four games in a row. He also just had four targets in Week 13 against New Orleans for four catches and 59 yards, and he's scored nine PPR points or less in three of his past four games. This won't be an easy matchup at San Francisco, and the 49ers have allowed just two touchdowns to receivers in their past three games against Arizona, New Orleans and Miami. Evans should only be started in three-receiver leagues in most formats.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Possible Bust (Lineup Decisions)
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The Buccaneers don't seem to stand much of a chance if they're going to run the ball. The Niners are too strong there. Brady's been firing to the tune of 43.7 pass attempts per game this season and should hit that number on Sunday. It should give Evans plenty of opportunities to connect. It's that volume that keeps Evans in Fantasy lineups as a low-end No. 2 Fantasy receiver. His upside is solely tied to that volume, so be aware that the downside remains an issue. I'd rather start Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and DeVonta Smith, but I'd take Evans over D.J. Moore, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Gabe Davis.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Draws critical penalty in win
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Evans brought in all four targets for 59 yards in the Buccaneers' 17-16 win over the Saints on Monday night.
Evans checked in third in receptions and second in receiving yards for the Bucs, and he was outpaced in targets by five teammates. However, the veteran wideout still played a critical role in a miraculous comeback victory, drawing a 44-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Paulson Adebo that took the ball down to the Saints' one-yard line and set up a touchdown grab by Cade Otton on the next play with three minutes remaining. Evans' overall numbers disappointed from a fantasy perspective however, and he hasn't exceeded Monday night's yardage total or had more than five receptions in any of his last four contests. Evans will aim to boost his production back up versus the 49ers in Week 14.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Highly inefficient in Week 12 loss
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Evans secured two of nine targets for 31 yards in the Buccaneers' 23-17 overtime loss to the Browns on Sunday.
It was a nightmare of an afternoon for Evans, who repeatedly failed to connect with Tom Brady despite tying with running back Rachaad White for the second-most targets on the day. Evans saw position mate Chris Godwin (12-110-1) enjoy outstanding chemistry with Brady, and he's now recorded 54 receiving yards or fewer in three consecutive games. Evans next lines up for a matchup with a team that's given him plenty of trouble in the past, the Saints, in a Week 13 Monday night home divisional clash.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Loses volume against Seattle
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Evans recorded five receptions on six targets for 54 yards in Sunday's 21-16 win over the Seahawks.
Evans appeared to be in line for a relatively strong game, having racked up four catches for 49 yards by halftime. However, he was targeted only twice in the final two quarters to post his second consecutive effort of less than 60 receiving yards and without a score. While at least in part dictated by game script, Tom Brady took to the air only 29 times -- his second-lowest mark of the season -- and if that continues, Evans could continue to lose out on targets moving forward.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Ready to play in Munich
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Evans (ribs/ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Seahawks in Munich.
Even though Evans' practice reps were limited throughout the week, neither of his injuries were deemed significant enough to prevent him from taking the field in Germany. Evans hasn't found the end zone since Week 4, but he's seen a steady stream of volume in the passing game over the Buccaneers' subsequent five games. During that stretch, he's averaging 5.6 receptions for 76.4 yards on 9.8 targets per contest.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Stays limited Thursday
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Evans (ribs/ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.
Evans maintained his activity level from Wednesday as he deals with a pair of injuries. The Buccaneers will travel to Munich on Thursday evening ahead of Sunday's game against the Seahawks, so Thursday's session may be his last on-field work of Week 10. In the end, Friday's practice report will reveal whether Evans goes into the weekend with or without a designation.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Tending to pair of injuries
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Evans was a limited participant in practice Wednesday due to ribs and ankle injuries.
Coming off his low-water mark for the season in receiving yards (40) this past Sunday against the Rams, Evans is being held back in the first session of Week 10 prep due to a pair of health concerns. Considering he was able to mix into drills Wednesday, he's a good bet either to get back to full activity Thursday and/or Friday or avoid a designation entirely ahead of Sunday's game against the Seahawks in Munich.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Struggles against Rams
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Evans caught five of 11 targets for 40 yards in Sunday's 16-13 win over the Rams.
For the third straight game and the fourth time this year, Evans saw double-digit targets, but he wound up setting a season low in receiving yards despite the volume. The veteran wideout has also gone five straight weeks without getting into the end zone, his longest drought since 2017, but he'll remain a high-ceiling fantasy option in a Week 10 clash with the Seahawks in Germany.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Cleared to play
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Evans (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Rams, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.
Neither do Julio Jones or Chris Godwin, while Russell Gage (hamstring) was ruled out for a second straight week. The injuries at wide receiver this year have helped Evans see more volume (8.4 targets per game) than he did the past two years, but his TD scoring has taken a hit with the Tampa offense struggling overall.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Stays limited Thursday
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Evans (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday.
Evans maintained his activity level from Wednesday, giving him just one more opportunity to get back to a full session and get rid of his designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams. As for the rest of the Buccaneers' receiving corps, Julio Jones (knee) followed up a DNP to begin Week 9 prep with all activity Thursday, while Russell Gage (hamstring) has remained sidelined. Assuming Evans gains clearance to play this weekend, Tampa Bay will have its usual top three WRs available in Evans, Chris Godwin and Jones.
