Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been largely absent from their Week 3 game against the Denver Broncos. With the Buccaneers’s offense struggling in the first half, it is odd not to see Evans being a huge part of the offense. Did Evans get injured in the first half, or should fantasy football managers just put this one down to a slow start?
What Is Happening With Mike Evans in Week 3?
The veteran WR has seen just two targets in the first half, which is frustrating but not that far off his pace from the first two weeks. In each of the first two games, Evans has been targeted six times, and right now, he is only one behind being on the same pace.
Evans is often a touchdown-dependent fantasy option, and that has been the case a little bit this season. In Week 1, he had 61 yards on five receptions, which would have been just 11.1 fantasy points, had he not also caught two touchdowns to take that number to 23.1. Then last week, he had just 42 yards on three receptions for a total of 7.2 fantasy points in PPR scoring.
Evans’ touchdown-or-bust element is not new for the WR. However, in recent seasons, he has scored double-digit touchdowns three times in the last four years. In the past games before Week 3, Evans has scored 48 touchdowns, which is a very impressive number. It has ensured that more often than not he has not only been a starting fantasy WR option, but usually a very successful one.
The part that should not be forgotten this week is that the Buccaneers are facing a Broncos defense that contains Patrick Surtain II. Evans was always likely to see plenty of Surtain this week, but the hope for fantasy managers is that Surtain would also be paired up on Chris Godwin occasionally. Evans discussed his matchup with Surtain during his media availability this week.
#Bucs WR Mike Evans talks about facing the #Broncos and CB Patrick Surtain II. pic.twitter.com/D4AAEpSDjQ
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) September 19, 2024
Evans said he is more concerned about the coverage than the opponent. He added that while he wants to know the opponent, he loves going one-on-one in man-to-man. He acknowledged how much success Surtain had had against George Pickens and D.K. Metcalf in the first two weeks.
Ultimately, Evans is talented enough that you would back him to win against Surtain at some point. The problem is that if Baker Mayfield is not actively looking toward Evans because of that matchup with Surtain, opportunities to capitalize will be limited. You will almost certainly see videos this week of Evans open in his matchup with Surtain, but that is part of having a star CB in that QBs look elsewhere first.