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Will Mike Evans Play in Week 4 for fantasy football? Is Mike Evans injured or hurt heading into Week 4 of 2025? Read the latest Mike Evans injury report.
Over the past decade, Mike Evans has been one of the most consistent fantasy football producers in the league. He reached 1,000 yards receiving in each of the last 11 seasons, tying the record set by Jerry Rice. Last year, he finished the regular season with 1,004 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 74 receptions. He got to that mark even though he landed on IR and missed four games with a hamstring injury.
Evans was off to a solid start to this year, helping his Bucs to a 3-0 start despite the absence of Chris Godwin (ankle), but Evans was forced to leave the team's Week 3 contest against the Jets with another hamstring injury. He left the game in the fourth quarter and threw his helmet in frustration while limping into the tunnel to the locker room.
So what's Evans' status for Week 4, and will he play? Read the latest Mike Evans injury news and fantasy outlook below.
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Mike Evans Fantasy Football Injury Update
Evans had five catches in each of the first two games of the season, totaling 51 yards against the Falcons and 56 yards against the Texans. He was on about that pace again in Week 3 but left after four catches for 33 yards and his first touchdown of the season.
On Monday, Bucs' coach Todd Bowles said that the injury is a "low-grade" hamstring strain, although the team will still have an MRI done on Tuesday to get more specific information.
While #Bucs coach Todd Bowles said the team does not have MRI results for star WR Mike Evans, he termed the injury as "low-grade" based on the initial diagnosis. A good sign that it won't be long-term.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 22, 2025
Evans played through his hamstring strain initially last year, but sustained a second hamstring strain in a different part of the muscle. He ultimately battled through the injury, often missing practice but still suiting up on Sunday. By that point in the season, Godwin was out for the year with his ankle injury, leaving the team thin at the position when Evans wasn't a full go.
Every season since 2019, Evans has dealt with a hamstring strain of some degree. Since he has experience with this injury, he could try to play through the injury this year as well, but since he suffered a setback before, he may take all the time he needs to get right. The fact that the Bucs are already two games out front of their division and have more depth at the position could give him the chance to take it slow and be sure he's back to 100% before returning.
Is Mike Evans Playing in Week 4?
While the MRI results are not back yet, which will provide more clarity, it does look like Evans will miss at least the Bucs' Week 4 matchup with the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles.
Most of the time, even a low-grade hamstring strain means a player misses two or three weeks. The Bucs could opt to play it safe and place the veteran on IR, giving him four weeks to recover. The Bucs' bye week is also only five weeks away, so if the injury is a little more severe, he could target a Week 10 return against New England after the bye. That's all speculation, though, since the team hasn't put a timetable in place.
Mike Evans Fantasy Football Outlook for Week 4
With Evans likely missing time, he'll probably have to head to your bench. He's definitely still worth holding, though, since he's such a key contributor and should return with plenty of time left in the season. The timing of his injury could coincide perfectly with Godwin's return. The Bucs didn't start Godwin on IR, indicating they thought he could play in the first four weeks of the season, and he seems to be on track for a Week 4 return.
Even though Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin (ankle) and OT Tristan Wirfs (knee) both were ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Jets, both players have a “strong chance” to make their season debuts next Sunday at home vs. the Eagles, per sources. Both Godwin and Wirfs are expected… pic.twitter.com/pAaqsdNS1j
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 21, 2025
If Evans is out, the Bucs will also rely more heavily on rookie standout Emeka Egbuka, who has 14 catches on 21 targets in his three games this season with three touchdowns and 181 receiving yards. Egbuka has been the team's second receiver behind Evans and will likely step into more work while Godwin ramps back up.
Since Jalen McMillan (neck) is still on IR for a while, Sterling Shepard, Tez Johnson, and Ryan Miller will serve as depth at the position, while Cade Otton could be more involved as a pass-catcher as well.
When Evans returns, he'll form a very strong top three receivers with Egbuka and Godwin, so holding him on your IR or bench if possible makes sense in most formats. Baker Mayfield has spread the ball around effectively to strong receiving corps in the past, and he'll have a good group to work with when everyone is healthy later this season.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 4 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Malik Nabers, Zay Flowers, Drake London, Chris Olave, Tee Higgins, Calvin Ridley. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 4. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 4 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on players like Malik Nabers, Zay Flowers, Drake London, Chris Olave, Tee Higgins, Calvin Ridley. They are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 4.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
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Popular Week 4 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 4 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 4 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 4 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Malik Nabers, Zay Flowers, Drake London, Chris Olave, Tee Higgins, Calvin Ridley compared to others:
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