Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans surprised most fantasy football managers — not to mention NFL fans in general — with his spectacular 2023 season.
Although his quarterback — Baker Mayfield — re-signed in the offseason, how much does Evans really have left in the tank, having just turned 31 years of age?
Here’s the fantasy outlook for Evans entering the 2024 season.
Mike Evans’ Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
The Buccaneers pinned their offensive hopes last season on the arm of Mayfield, the former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick, and he came through with a terrific season. The biggest beneficiary of that success was Evans.
Evans finished with 79 receptions for 1,255 yards, both numbers being his highest since 2018. He also led the NFL in touchdown receptions with 13, the third time in the last four seasons he’s caught 13 or more touchdown passes.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Evans’ season that was most appealing to fantasy managers was his ability to catch the deep ball. Evans averaged 15.9 yards per reception, his highest average since 2019, and of his 13 touchdown receptions, eight went for 20 or more yards.
Over his final two seasons with Tom Brady as the Tampa Bay quarterback, Evans had eight touchdown receptions of 20-plus yards combined.
Evans averaged 16.6 fantasy points per game in 2023, his highest fantasy scoring average since 2019 (17.9 fantasy PPG). In addition, six times last season, Evans had at least 20 fantasy points in a game, a huge improvement from 2022, when he topped 20 fantasy points in just one game.
Is Evans a Good Fantasy Pick?
Evans is WR14 in Pro Football Network’s Consensus Fantasy Football Rankings.
Having just turned 31, it seems as if Evans is on the back nine of his career. However, after a season like 2023, who knows when he will be slowing down?
Evans has Mayfield back, which can only help his production. The Buccaneers have another terrific receiver in Chris Godwin, who led the team in receptions (83) last season. Godwin and Evans each had at least 130 targets last season.
So, fantasy managers expecting more than 16.6 fantasy PPG from Evans in 2024 will probably come away disappointed. That said, looking for at least 15 PPG from Evans is more than fair, given his consistent production as he’s averaged at least 15 fantasy PPG in each of his last six seasons.
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Interestingly, the Buccaneers play in an NFC South Division that, while mediocre overall, featured three teams ranked in the top 10 in pass defense last season: the Carolina Panthers (third), Atlanta Falcons (eighth), and New Orleans Saints (10). Three of Evans’ four games in which he managed 40 or fewer receiving yards came against teams in his division.
In the end, Evans seems about as easy of a pick as a fantasy manager can have. Given his career production, he can be expected to produce at least 15 fantasy PPG. And anything after that is gravy for fantasy managers.