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Should Mike Evans remain priority target in 2026 fantasy football despite groin injury?

Should Mike Evans remain priority target in 2026 fantasy football despite groin injury?

NFL Best Ball DraftKings Fantasy Advice Season Long

Published:

By: Alex Hunter

Star wideout Mike Evans has dealt with various injuries during the 49ers’ training camp, most recently a groin injury. Still, the receiver is expected to play in the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Rams on Thursday, September 10, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Given his injuries this summer, Evans’ ADP for Best Ball drafts on DraftKings has dropped to 60.4; at this point in the draft, should we target Evans?

Evans’ 2026 Fantasy Outlook

Evans inked a three-year, $42.4 million deal with the 49ers this summer, and he is slated to see a huge workload for this offense. Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne are all no longer with the team, and Ricky Pearsall is out for the season due to a PCL injury, leaving the 49ers’ receiver room very short on options.

And while there is a strong chance he plays in Week 1, George Kittle is coming off a torn Achilles he suffered in January — so the 32-year-old seeing a lighter workload to begin the season is very likely.

Per usual, Evans was a great target earner last season, seeing a target on 26% of his routes with the Buccaneers, and that rate could be even higher with the 49ers this season. Plus, going from Baker Mayfield to Brock Purdy could be a notable upgrade for Evans. Last season, Purdy finished seventh in EPA per dropback, while Mayfield ranked 27th.

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However, some of Evans’ metrics worsened. His catch rate dropped from 71.7% in 2024 to a career-worst 48.4% in 2025. His YPPR also plummeted from 2.52 to 1.62.

While these are concerning, Evans still has big upside this season if he stays healthy. But how likely is that? Evans is 33 and entering his 13th season in the NFL. After being a pretty durable player for most of his career, Evans had major issues staying on the field last season, only appearing in eight games. The veteran missed time with a strained hamstring, and then a broken collarbone ended his season.

Now, the receiver is already dealing with injuries with the 49ers, and the regular season hasn’t even kicked off. It’s hard to have faith in Evans playing in most games this season. While getting him around an ADP of 60.4 is tempting, Evans by no means needs to be a priority at that stage of the draft. If he slips further, say, to around pick No. 70, Evans will have more merit. But with him being such a prominent name playing for such a popular team, his falling that late is unlikely.

Alex Hunter
Alex Hunter is an avid DFS player and sports handicapper, who has been a proud member of the DraftKings Network team since 2020. He is a data-driven analyst, who earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Worcester State University and has been in the sports content business for nearly a decade, covering the NBA, NFL and PGA TOUR. Alex is a diehard Boston Celtics fan, who loves to be on the golf course when he isn’t grinding lineups or producing content. For all of Alex’s work or if you need any lineup advice, be sure to follow him @Hunta512 on X.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.