Davis Mattek said he is now happily clicking Mike Evans ahead of Terry McLaurin when both are on the board in the late third or early fourth round. Mattek thinks the market is sleeping on Evans because drafters are anchoring to Chris Godwin’s name value and ignoring Tampa Bay’s clearer target hierarchy: Godwin’s hamstring issue has him sliding while Evans—fresh off another 1,200-yard, 13-TD season—enters camp fully healthy. Mattek highlighted Evans’s 35 deep-target share (tied for second in the league) and Baker Mayfield’s top-five rate of throwing 20-plus-yard passes, calling the combo "an under-priced weekly nuke" for Best Ball formats. With Tampa projected to trail often and little reliable competition behind the top two receivers, Mattek believes Evans owns both target-volume and touchdown-spike paths to a WR1 finish and is a priority selection whenever he lasts past pick 38.

Sam Monson maintained that fantasy managers should not fade Mike Evans simply because he’s turning 31. Evans owns a career 15-plus yards-per-reception average and recently passed 100 touchdowns, production Monson credited to “being big and strong and fast” rather than pure long speed. That skill set, he said, will let Evans stay Tampa’s primary vertical and red-zone weapon even after losing a step, similar to how Vincent Jackson and Brandon Marshall aged. Monson sees Evans’ spike-week profile intact, making him a value at current ADP in Season-Long leagues and an ideal ceiling play for Best-Ball builds.

Whalen is below consensus on Mike Evans, noting that only 11 players since 2000 have cracked 1,000 yards in their 12th NFL season. Although Evans’ 11-year streak is impressive, Whalen would "rather be out a year early" than spend a late-third-round pick on a profile that screams statistical regression. With Tampa expected to lean run-heavier and Chris Godwin back at full strength, Whalen cautioned drafters not to chase last season’s production spike.

Best Ball Guy said drafters should start mixing Mike Evans into their third-round portfolio even when they do not have Baker Mayfield already in hand. His argument is pure ceiling: Evans’ week-tilting touchdown profile has produced multiple BBM finals appearances, and the Buccaneers’ December schedule – one BBG repeatedly called "very stack-friendly" – offers shoot-out potential that maximizes that spike-week juice. Because the third round often feels flat, sliding in Evans secures weekly upside that most of the volume-based wideouts in that range simply cannot match. BBG noted he is purposely diversifying away from a strict Evans–Godwin pairing and is happy to run Evans as a solo bet with Mayfield or even with rookie Emeka Egbuka to keep roster construction flexible while still capturing Tampa Bay’s playoff ceiling.

Murphy predicted that Mike Evans’ price will rise a full round if uncertainty around Chris Godwin’s status lingers. He noted Evans already owns 34% of Tampa’s end-zone targets under Dave Canales and would soak up even more if Godwin’s hamstring issue delays his camp reps. Baker Mayfield averaged 8.2 aDOT to Evans last year and remains willing to pepper him deep, a skill set that creates spike weeks critical to Best Ball Mania. Murphy is proactively grabbing Evans in the late 4th while the market still lets him slip there.

Nick Whalen is fading Mike Evans at WR20 (top-40 overall). He pointed to stark splits: in six games alongside Chris Godwin last season, Evans averaged just 4 catches for 48 yards, but when Godwin missed time he spiked to 7 catches for 96 yards. Banking on another Godwin injury is a thin bet, and Evans is now entering his age-32 season, which historically correlates with efficiency decline. Whalen conceded Evans’ streak of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons is impressive but called it statistically unlikely to continue at cost. He would rather pivot to cheaper options in the same offense.

Jeff Erickson expects Mike Evans’ league-best 10-season 1,000-yard streak to stop in 2024 and is leaning UNDER the posted 950.5-yard (DK) / 925.5-yard (FanDuel) lines. He noted no wide-receiver in his 12th NFL season has hit 1,000 yards since Larry Fitzgerald in 2015. Evans still wins on deep patterns, a route tree that needs more pocket time just as Tampa loses Tristan Wirfs for at least the first month. Erickson fears the combination of an aging vertical receiver, a shuffle at offensive coordinator, and immediate match-ups with strong pass-rush defenses will suppress both volume and efficiency, making the under the sharper side for season-long yardage props or best-ball draft fades.

Ben Gretch said drafters are paying a Round-4 premium for past glory rather than 2024 reality with Mike Evans. Tampa’s 57 offensive TDs and Baker Mayfield’s 7.3 % pass-TD rate both crushed previous career highs after Liam Cohen completely revamped the red-zone script. Cohen is now in Jacksonville, left tackle Tristan Wirfs is expected to miss the start of the season, and first-rounder Emeka Egbuka plus Jalen McMillan add target competition alongside a healthier Chris Godwin. Gretch projects Mayfield back near his career-norm 5 % TD rate and the Bucs closer to 40 total scores, slicing Evans’ likely touchdowns from 13 to the 8-9 range. With an aging receiver and lower volume baked in, his median outcome settles outside the top-20 WRs, making Evans a fade at WR19 ADP in season-long and best-ball drafts.

Jason Moore explained why he still ranks Mike Evans a full tier ahead of Chris Godwin even though he projects both Buccaneer veterans for roughly 130 targets. Evans’ down-field aDOT and red-zone usage make his targets much more valuable—he has cleared double-digit touchdowns in four of the past five seasons and averages 1.9 end-zone targets per game, nearly double Godwin’s 1.0. Moore trusts Evans’ durability as well, noting the receiver has posted 1,000-plus yards in every one of his 10 NFL campaigns, whereas Godwin’s post-injury ramp-up last year produced an “extremely depressing” stretch run. With Evans going in the late third and Godwin in the sixth, Moore sees the Hall-of-Fame-track wideout as the safer bet to return WR1 value and is comfortable selecting him ahead of names like DK Metcalf and DeVonta Smith in that same ADP pocket.

Bob Harris said Mike Evans is his favorite best-ball value at his current WR37 price on DraftKings. Harris highlighted Evans’ 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons, the 1,255 yards he logged last year despite missing time, and the 96.7 receiving yards he averaged after returning from injury. Those numbers, plus his perennial double-digit touchdown upside, give Evans weekly WR1 ceilings. Harris added that managers can often draft Davante Adams a round earlier and then immediately take Evans, creating a difference-making veteran duo. He believes the market is once again disrespecting Evans and urged drafters to scoop him aggressively in best ball.

Michael Leone believes Mike Evans is a screaming value in Underdog’s half-PPR, touchdown-heavy environment. Despite posting 13 end-zone targets and leading the league at 0.33 TDs per target in 2023, Evans slips into the late third/early fourth round because the market over-penalizes his age. Leone emphasized that Underdog’s scoring perfectly suits Evans’ spike-week profile, creating an arbitrage spot on a receiver who has cleared 1,000 yards in ten straight seasons. Conversely, Evans loses leverage in full-PPR FFPC drafts, so Leone is loading up on him specifically in Underdog Best Ball rooms, where the scoring and ADP dynamics swing in Evans’ favor.

Nick Whalen argued that drafting 32-year-old Mike Evans at a slight WR discount is still risky because volume is likely to drop. With Chris Godwin healthy, first-round rookie Emeka Egbuka, and second-rounder Jalen McMillan crowding the room, Evans’ target share could revert to the pre-injury split that saw him average just 4 catches and 48 yards per game. Whalen also highlighted the historical precedent: since 2000 only 12 players have topped 1,000 yards in their 12th NFL season. Factor in minor injury flare-ups and the loss of OC Liam Coen, and Whalen believes Evans’ league-leading touchdown pace (24 over the last two years) is due for a slowdown, making the veteran a fade in 2025 drafts.

Jagger May said Mike Evans is a land-mine at his current 2025 ADP. Even if the 31-year-old has not fallen off a cliff athletically, May worries the Buccaneers could overhaul the receiving room as soon as this summer—he specifically mentioned prospects Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan as threats to siphon snaps. Evans already has to compete with Chris Godwin, and Liam Cohen’s departure means the passing scheme could look completely different. In the same draft range you can grab Marvin Harrison Jr., Davante Adams, or Rashi Rice—players May believes carry higher floors without Evans’ age and scheme uncertainty. The combination of looming target competition, a possible shift away from the current offense, and Evans’ natural decline makes him a fade in season-long drafts.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound endorsed Mike Evans as an ideal ceiling play for Underdog’s 20-round Sprint. He reminded viewers that in a three-week playoff you only need two spike weeks to push a roster into the finals, and Evans still produces multi-TD eruptions despite his age. Pat likes stashing Evans as the WR3/4 on otherwise young builds, banking on his 14.3-yard career aDOT and eight seasons of double-digit touchdowns to deliver at least two 25-plus-point bombs. He called Evans the prototype "boom-bust" vet who can win Weeks 15-17 without requiring full-season consistency.

Nez Badge Bros acknowledged a nagging worry that Mike Evans might finally slow down at age 31 but ultimately labeled those fears ‘priced in’ at his late-fourth-round Sprint tag. Evans’ game—dominating at the catch point rather than relying on speed—ages gracefully, and he has never fallen short of 1,000 yards in a season. Nez highlighted Evans’ 13.4-yard average depth of target and career-long 8.5 percent touchdown rate, arguing the wideout can offset any minor yardage dip with another double-digit TD campaign. With Baker Mayfield back and the Buccaneers projected to chase points weekly, Nez is comfortable drafting Evans at 4.08 until the wheels actually fall off.

Pete Overzet called Mike Evans at a 4.08 Sprint ADP "a gift." Evans usually goes at the 3-4 turn in Best Ball Mania and sits side-by-side with Davante Adams in ETR’s projections, yet drafters are passing on him 15 picks later here. Overzet highlighted Evans’ NFL-record 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons, a 31.5 % air-yard share last year, and Baker Mayfield’s extension that guarantees continuity. He concluded that the discount lets drafters start RB-heavy while still locking in a weekly WR1 ceiling—critical in the Sprint’s rotisserie playoff format where raw points matter more than week-to-week advance rates.