Mike

Evans

Evans would have needed a little over 600 yards to keep his streak of thousand-yard seasons alive. He didn’t. The 32-year-old dealt with injuries, but even when on the field this was far from his best regular season with just one game over the century mark. Evans is a decent bounceback candidate for 2026 — even if he will be entering his age-33 season — but also could have a chance to do damage in the postseason if the Falcons lose to the Saints on Sunday.

Evans had his second-straight game of 31 yards and a touchdown, scoring on the last Bucs drive of the game. He nearly had a toe-tap touchdown in the third quarter, but was pushed out of bounds on the catch. Evans committed a rare offensive pass interference in the fourth quarter, but later drew his usual defensive pass interference prior to his touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter. Evans is the 10th player in NFL history with 13,000 receiving yards and 100 touchdown receptions. The 32-year-old remains just 666 yards away from keeping his 1,000-yard streak alive. Evans is a fantasy WR2 in a matchup for the division against the Panthers for those still playing fantasy games in Week 18.

Evans continues to be the Buccaneers’ WR1 since returning from his collarbone injury. It was an inefficient 31 yards on nine targets, a product of a struggling Bucs offense that has failed to take advantage of opportunities. Evans scored the Bucs’ first touchdown of the game on a goal-line fade from the one-yard line in the first quarter. He was targeted in the end zone twice from the one-yard line again in the third quarter, drawing a defensive pass interference before a Sean Tucker rushing score. He still needs 697 yards over the next two games to keep his 1,000-yard streak alive. Evans is a fantasy WR2 for Week 17 against the Dolpins.

The veteran receiver got in a full session on Friday and will be on the WR2 line against the Panthers in the first of two clashes between the NFC South co-leaders. Evans got a full day off on Thursday, but was limited on Wednesday.

Evans will likely have his reps limited during practice over the next few weeks. Making his triumphant return from the broken collarbone he suffered in Week 7, Evans was as good as anyone could have hoped on Thursday. He earned 12 targets, six of which were caught for 132 yards. Evans immediately returned to the No. 1 role in the Bucs offense and made the most of his many opportunities. He is in line for a WR2 ranking for Week 16 against Carolina.

It may not have been the most efficient outing for Evans, but when you consider it was the first time on the field for the future Hall of Famer since Week 7, it’s an incredibly impressive performance. The 32-year-old worked the sideline for most of the contest, and showed he’s still as good as it gets at jump balls with a 45-yard snag. Evans is far from a lock to put up these kind of numbers each week, but clearly the connection with Baker Mayfield is going to make these kind of outings possible. The Panthers are next in Week 16.

Otton is, unfortunately, sidelined by a knee injury. The pass-catching corps gets WR Mike Evans (collarbone) and WR Jalen McMillan (neck) back tonight, though, boosting QB Baker Mayfield’s fantasy-scoring potential. Mayfield will also helpfully have LT Tristan Wirfs (oblique) protecting his blindside this evening.

Evans takes the field on game day for the first time since Week 7. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes Evans will be on “somewhat of a pitch count” in his first game back, though coaches often allow players to play without restrictions if their body responds positively to early-game work. Evans is a tad risky, but his upside remains high. He should probably be in most fantasy lineups.

He will be on “somewhat of a pitch count” coming back from the collarbone injury. That’s good news for fantasy managers who were relying on Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka in Week 15, but it makes Evans a bit of a risky start in his first week off injured reserve. Evans probably belongs on the WR4/FLEX line if you’re going to play him, though the promise that he’ll be out there on “the big downs” is promising.

Jalen McMillan was also activated. Both players are technically still listed as questionable, though the designations are largely a procedural matter. We fully expect both wideouts to suit up versus Atlanta tomorrow. Evans could be on a pitch count in his first game back, but the Bucs will make the most of the reps he is on the field for. He will be a WR3 for Week 15.