Is Mike Evans Worth Drafting As Your WR2? Fantasy Football Outlook

July 6, 2023

Is Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans worth drafting as your WR2 in 2023 fantasy football leagues? What is his fantasy football outlook? Joey Pollizze covers it all

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has put up consistent numbers every single season since he entered the league in 2014. He is the only player in NFL history to start his career with nine straight 1,000-yard campaigns, surpassing Randy Moss' record of six. 

That type of consistency has made Evans a reliable fantasy football WR1/WR2 over the years. But with Tom Brady now retired and Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask taking over under center in 2023, the Buccaneers' offense could look a lot different this season. With that said, is Evans still worth drafting as your WR2 in fantasy football? Let's dive in. 

Mike Evans Career Fantasy Numbers

Evans has caught passes from five different quarterbacks over his career: Josh McCown, Mike Glennon, Jameis Winston, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Brady. Despite the inconsistencies at quarterback, the 29-year-old wide receiver has produced at a high fantasy level every year. 

He has three top-10 wide receiver finishes (2016, 2018, 2021) and hasn't finished lower than WR22 in PPR formats in his career. Evans has also never missed more than three games in any season. All of that has made him a low-end WR1/WR2 every year. 

His best fantasy finish came in 2016 with Winston as his primary QB. Evans logged a career-high 96 catches for 1,321 yards and 12 touchdowns, finishing as the WR2 overall. Last season, Evans was the WR17 and caught 77 passes for 1,124 yards and six touchdowns. 

Is Mike Evans worth drafting as your WR2?

When you draft Evans, fantasy managers are relatively happy with the wideout's production. He doesn't miss too many games and will surpass the 1,000-receiving-yard mark. Last season, his 15 PPR points per game average were tied for the 12th-highest among all fantasy wide receivers. 

However, there might be a slight drop off in production for Evans in 2023 with Mayfield or Trask under center. But don't forget that the former Cleveland Browns quarterback was able to carry Jarvis Landry (WR12) and Odell Beckham Jr. (WR25) to solid PPR fantasy finishes in the same season in 2019. 

Evans will compete with Chris Godwin for the main targets in the Buccaneers offense. However, if Mayfield can distribute the ball -- like he did with both Landry and Beckham in Cleveland -- that's a good sign for the wideout's production this upcoming season. As seen over the years, it doesn't really matter who is operating as the Bucs' quarterback. Evans will still produce solid numbers and be a WR2 on your fantasy rosters in 2023.

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