Mike Evans’ 11-year 1,000-yard season streak — the longest such run to open a career in NFL history — has been one of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ most-ballyhooed storylines in recent seasons. That run looks to be in jeopardy after Evans recorded just five catches for 51 yards in the Buccaneers’ season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. At times, 19th overall pick Emeka Egbuka (four catches, 67 yards, two scores) looked like Tampa Bay’s WR1.
Thanks to his workload, health, and consistency, Evans has been a mainstay of fantasy teams for his entire career, finishing outside the top 10 at the wide receiver position just thrice despite playing with a wide range of quarterbacks. This season might be different, though; Evans is 32 and has indicated that he’d contemplate retirement when his contract ends after the 2025 season. The Buccaneers’ receiver room is as deep as ever, with Egbuka joining a core of Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan that helped guide Baker Mayfield to his career-best season in 2024. Godwin is still out while he recovers from a broken ankle that ended his 2024 season in Week 7, and McMillan is still recovering from a severe neck strain, but both men will eventually be back.
That doesn’t mean Evans’ fantasy managers should be concerned about him in the short term. Mayfield still targeted him more times than any other Tampa Bay receiver in Week 1, and the Buccaneers only had two snaps in the red zone, so it’s hard to ascertain much about Tampa Bay’s goal-line plans. The underlying numbers are still in Evans’ favor: his success rate, snap count, and catch rate are ahead of his career averages, and Pro Football Focus graded his performance ahead of either Egbuka’s or Sterling Shepard’s. Plus, Egbuka is a different type of receiver: while 34 of Evans’ 48 snaps came out wide, only 30 of Egbuka’s 54 did.
The main reason for pause comes not from Egbuka but from the Buccaneers’ Week 2 opponent: the Houston Texans. Houston had among the best secondaries in football last season, with Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter both finishing with top-20 overall grades among cornerbacks at PFF. Both Stingley and Lassiter had rough performances in the Texans’ Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but they and C.J. Gardner-Johnson have long track records of success and should be expected to bounce back.
Still, talented wideouts tend to get theirs regardless; Puka Nacua recorded 10 catches for 130 yards in Week 1 against Houston. Throughout his career, Evans has always been prone to the occasional off game, but he produces WR1 numbers more often than not.
