The time between the NFL Draft and training camps is one of the most fun times of the year for dynasty fantasy football managers. Rookie drafts are underway (or have already taken place), and players are trying to determine whether their team is a contender or a rebuilding team. That means taking stock of the veterans on your roster to determine the best course of action moving forward.
One player who will undoubtedly be moved at a high rate in the coming weeks between buyers and sellers in dynasty is Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans. What should you do if you roster him? We dove deep to help you make a decision.
Why Fantasy Managers Are Trading Away Mike Evans
Since the beginning of May, 74 players have been traded at least 500 times in PFSN’s trade analyzer. No player has been involved in a higher rate of completed trades than Evans (64.8%). PFSN users are moving on from the veteran receiver at a massive rate.
Fantasy managers who have rostered Evans at any point over the last 11 seasons have gotten exactly what they hoped for from the veteran receiver. He has 11 straight seasons with at least 67 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards, and scored at least six touchdowns in 10 of 11 career seasons.
Evans has been one of the most reliable receivers in fantasy as well. He has just two seasons in his career with fewer than 15.0 fantasy points per game scored. He has just one career season (2015) in which he finished outside the top 20 among scoring wide receivers. Odds are, if you’ve rostered Evans at any point in his career, he’s been a staple of your fantasy lineup.
Despite another strong season in 2024 (WR11, 17.2 PPG), some signals are showing that it may be time for fantasy managers to move on. The most obvious is Evans’ age.
All good things eventually come to an end, and Evans will be 32 years old during the 2025 season. Couple that with the knowledge that 2024 was also the first time in his career that Evans failed to play in 15 games due to a hamstring injury, and you’d be hard-pressed to blame someone for having anxiety about rostering him.
Beyond all that, diving into Evans’ 2024 numbers provides some concerning context. His 1,000-yard receiver streak was at serious risk through the first seven weeks of the season with Chris Godwin healthy, and from Weeks 1 to 7, Evans averaged just 6.4 targets, 3.7 receptions, and 47.9 receiving yards.
A mixed bag, Evans was able to remain a WR2 in fantasy thanks to six touchdowns scored in his first seven games. But if the NFL season ended after Week 7, Evans would have had the second-lowest fantasy finish of his career (WR21, 13.6 PPG).
Conversely, Godwin emerged as the focal point of Tampa Bay’s offense with Liam Coen as offensive coordinator. From Weeks 1 to 7, Godwin averaged 8.9 targets, 7.1 receptions, 82.3 receiving yards, and scored five touchdowns. He was the WR2 in PPR points per game (19.7) before suffering a dislocated ankle at the end of Week 7.
Godwin’s injury allowed Evans to get back on track in fantasy. The latter played seven games without Godwin and averaged 9.3 targets, 6.9 receptions, 95.6 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. In that time, he finished as the WR5 in points per game (20.7) from Weeks 12 to 18.
The Buccaneers extended Godwin after the season with a three-year, $66 million deal. They also returned solid contributors in Cade Otton (59 receptions for 600 yards and four touchdowns) and Jalen McMillan (37 receptions for 461 yards and eight touchdowns), which is all concerning news for Evans’ fantasy managers.
Tampa Bay also used its first-round pick in the NFL Draft on Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka set the Ohio State career receptions record with 205 catches, racking up 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns in 49 college games over four seasons. The rookie was used heavily in the slot in college, but showed during his Combine process that he may have enough speed (4.45 40-yard dash at Ohio State’s Pro Day).
Evans is getting older and will arguably face the most competition for targets he’s had since entering the NFL in 2014. If you roster him and feel like your competitive window is closing, now is the perfect time to start moving on.
Should You Be Buying Evans in Dynasty?
The answer to this question ultimately depends on the state of your dynasty roster.
If you’re in a position looking for a WR to elevate the scoring floor of your receiver group, then Evans is worth buying. He has 11 straight years of top-30 WR production in fantasy, and Tampa Bay (along with Baker Mayfield) has shown that they will do whatever it takes to keep his 1,000-yard streak alive toward the end of the season.
Meanwhile, if you’re in a situation where Evans is your WR3 or Flex play each week, you will have a deep receiver group in dynasty and redraft leagues in 2025. At worst, he’ll continue to be one of the most dangerous red-zone threats due to his size and physicality in jump-ball situations.
MORE: PFSN Fantasy Football Draft Simulator!
Buying Evans is a short-term roster move that could be the difference between winning and losing in the dynasty playoffs. More importantly, the cost of trading for Evans will be reasonable given his age and the strong pass-catching group in Tampa Bay.
A rebuilding manager looking to move off of Evans in 2025 will likely be happy to get a young wide receiver with upside (Cedric Tillman, Ricky Pearsall, Jayden Reed, etc.) and a second-round pick. At that cost, Evans is a risk worth taking.
