Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Pair of TD grabs in OT loss
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Evans secured five of seven targets for 62 yards and two touchdowns and recovered a fumble in the Buccaneers' 36-30 overtime loss to the Falcons on Thursday night.
Evans hit pay dirt from two and 23 yards out in the first and second quarters, respectively, his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the season. However, the veteran wideout posted just three receptions for 37 yards as far as his non-scoring catches, although he had a key recovery of a Chris Godwin fumble just past the midway point of the third quarter following a 20-yard reception that saved a drive which culminated in a field goal. Evans will head into a Week 6 road matchup against the Saints on Sunday, Oct. 13 still in search of his first 100-yard game of the campaign.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Set for Thursday night
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Evans (knee/calf) doesn't have a designation for Thursday's game at Atlanta, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Evans was a non-participant at Monday's walkthrough due to knee and calf injuries, but he followed it up with a limited walkthrough Tuesday and capped session Wednesday, thereby paving the way for him to suit up Week 5. He's coming off his most productive outing of the season against the Eagles this past Sunday, when he hauled in eight of 14 targets for 94 yards and one touchdown.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Upgrades to limited practice
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Evans (knee/calf) was limited in Tuesday's walk-through practice, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Evans was listed as a non-participant Monday, so it's encouraging to see him upgrade his participation level, even if Tampa Bay was only having another walk-through session. The star wideout figures to have a good chance to suit up for Thursday's divisional matchup against the Falcons. If Evans can upgrade to a full practice session Wednesday, however, it would mitigate any concerns about his health. The veteran wideout is coming off a 8-94-1 receiving line on 14 targets during Week 4's win over the Eagles, with his catches, yards and targets all being season-best marks.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Misses Monday's walkthrough
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Evans (knee/calf) is listed as a non-participant on Monday's injury report.
The Buccaneers are hosting a walkthrough Monday, per Scott Smith of the team's official site, but it's nonetheless notable to see DNP next to Evans' name. The veteran wideout is dealing with knee and calf injuries, though it's possible that Tampa Bay is simply capping his practice reps with a short week on deck prior to Thursday's key divisional matchup against the Falcons. Evans logged his best game of the 2024 season during the Buccaneers' 33-16 win over the Eagles on Sunday in which he secured eight of 14 targets for 94 yards and one touchdown while playing 78 percent of offensive snaps.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Paces pass catchers in win
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Evans secured eight of 14 targets for 94 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 33-16 win over the Eagles on Sunday.
Evans led the Buccaneers across the board in receptions, receiving yards and targets with totals that also were season highs. He also recorded his third touchdown of the campaign on a two-yard grab to cap off the opening possession of the contest, making it his best all-around game in new coordinator Liam Coen's offense. Evans next faces a familiar foe in the Falcons during a Week 5 road divisional matchup on Thursday night.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Good to go
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Evans (knee/rest) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Eagles.
Evans didn't practice Friday, but the addition of 'rest' to his injury explanation suggests his absence was a matter of caution. Chris Godwin (neck) also avoided an injury designation, while No. 3 receiver Jalen McMillan is listed as doubtful after injuring his hamstring during Friday's practice.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Remains limited Thursday
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Evans (knee) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.
The same goes for position mate Chris Godwin (neck), with both players operating with a cap on their practice reps so far during Week 4 prep. Friday's injury report thus will be key for both players' statuses heading into the weekend as the Buccaneers gear up for Sunday's matchup with the Eagles.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Dealing with knee issue
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Evans was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to a knee injury, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Both Evans and Chris Godwin (neck) opened Week 4 prep with the same amount of on-field work, placing a cloud over the statuses of Tampa Bay's top two wide receivers. The pair will have two chances to get back to full practice activity this week before the team potentially tags them with designations ahead of Sunday's contest against the Eagles.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Stymied by Broncos in loss
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Evans brought in two of three targets for 17 yards in the Buccaneers' 26-7 loss to the Broncos on Sunday.
Evans' final line tells the tale of how difficult an afternoon it was for the Buccaneers offense as a whole, particularly the air attack. With Baker Mayfield taking seven sacks and averaging only 4.9 yards per attempt, Evans' numbers unsurprisingly took a hit. The star wideout's reception, receiving yardage and target numbers were all season lows, giving him plenty of room for improvement in a Week 4 home matchup against the Eagles.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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It's tough to sit Evans in the majority of leagues, but this could be a rough week for him against the Broncos and cornerback Patrick Surtain. So far this season, Surtain has helped limit DK Metcalf and George Pickens to a combined five catches for 58 yards and no touchdowns on eight targets. Evans is coming off a down game in Week 2 at Detroit with three catches for 42 yards and no touchdowns on six targets, and he could have another poor performance in Week 3 given the expected matchup with Surtain.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Contrarian DFS Play
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Any time you can get an elite wide receiver at a low roster rate, you have to entertain the idea. The reason Evans' roster rate will be so low is because he is facing one of the best corners in the league and he's coming off of a dud. I won't dispute those are valid reasons, and I wouldn't play Evans in cash games, but in GPPs he brings huge upside every week and as a future Hall of Famer he's had plenty of big games against great corners.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Modest showing in Week 2 win
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Evans caught three of six targets for 42 yards in Sunday's 20-16 win over the Lions.
Evans had just one catch for 16 yards on two first-half targets, as eight of Baker Mayfield's 12 passes before halftime were directed to Chris Godwin. Evans was actually Tampa Bay's leading receiver after halftime but that production didn't amount to much, as the veteran wide receiver cooled off after a two-touchdown Week 1 performance. He has just 103 receiving yards heading into a Week 3 date with a Broncos secondary led by star cornerback Patrick Surtain.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Contrarian DFS Play
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Evans price (seventh-highest WR on FanDuel) may scare some people away, but I'm not sure anyone has more upside in Week 1. The Commanders gave up the most Fantasy points to WR1s last year and Evans is known for his spike weeks. Last year he scored 26.1 FD points in Week 2, and topped 20 four other times. I like stacking him with Baker Mayfield and using him as the bring-back with Jayden Daniels.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Will be rested Friday
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Evans isn't in line to play in Friday's preseason finale against the Dolphins, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Per Smith, coach Todd Bowles told the Buccaneers Radio Network that neither Evans nor LB Lavonte David will face Miami in the team's final exhibition contest. However, the duo's absence is not injury-related, rather it's a case of them getting the night off, like a 'veteran' day in practice. Evans' next game action will thus occur when he lines up in Tampa Bay's starting lineup against the Commanders in a Week 1 matchup on Sept. 8.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Reignites connection with Mayfield
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Evans' chemistry with Baker Mayfield has been evident early in the Buccaneers' training camp, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Evans displayed plenty of rapport with Mayfield right out of the gate in their first year playing together in 2023, posting a 17-297 line while also recording a touchdown apiece in the Buccaneers' first three regular-season games. The veteran wideout, who re-signed with Tampa Bay this offseason, wasted no time flashing the same chemistry with Mayfield early in training camp with several impressive catches over the first trio of practices, and he's in line to once again serve as no less than a co-No. 1 receiver alongside Chris Godwin in 2024.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Re-signs with Bucs
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Evans and the Buccaneers reached agreement Monday morning on a two-year, $52 million contract that includes $35 million guaranteed, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Reports a few days earlier suggested Evans would hit free agency, but he ended up re-signing with the Buccaneers instead and will continue playing for the team that drafted him seventh overall in 2014. He'll turn 31 in August, having topped 1,000 yards in a record-setting 10 straight seasons to open his career, including 2023 when he had his most catches (79), yards (1,255) and targets (136) since 2018 while tying for the league lead in receiving touchdowns (13). The Buccaneers can now focus on re-signing their other prominent free agents, including QB Baker Mayfield, S Antoine Winfield and LB Lavonte David.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: To test free agency
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Evans plans to hit free agency for the first time in his career, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
While Evans and the Buccaneers remain in contract discussions, the veteran pass catcher wants to explore his options. Thus, it does not mean his time in Tampa Bay is over, but rather, that he plans on hearing from all teams before making a decision. The 30-year-old has been with the team for all 10 years of his NFL seasons and is coming off a campaign where he recorded 1,255 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Teams seem committed to return
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The Buccaneers appear committed to re-signing Evans before the start of free agency, even if there is a financial strain on the team's cap situation, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. "He's an unprecedented player. We want him to be a Buc for life. We're working towards that," general manager Jason Licht said Tuesday.
Licht admitted the team would probably have to "strain a little bit" to reach a deal that's palatable for Evans, who is coming off his 10th consecutive 1,000-yard season. Evans also recorded 13 touchdowns in 2023 -- tying for the league lead.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Could stay in Tampa
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Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen made it clear Tuesday that he's hopeful the team will re-sign Evans, an impending free agent, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Evans and quarterback Baker Mayfield have expiring contracts, and wide receiver Chris Godwin is scheduled for $20 million in non-guaranteed compensation for the final year of his deal in 2024. The possibility of significant change can't be ignored, but Coen's opening press conference left little doubt that part of his motivation for taking the Tampa Bay job was an expectation that the team's core playmakers would be retained. The former Rams and University of Kentucky offensive coordinator talked about how much easier it is to design an offense with a downfield, perimeter threat like Evans, and Coen also mentioned that he plans to move Godwin back to the slot as his primary alignment. A franchise tag for Evans would cost $28.4 million -- 120 percent of his 2023 cap charge -- while Mayfield's tag number likely would be around $35 million. The Buccaneers have a third candidate for the tag in 25-year-old safety Antoine Winfield, whose salary would be about $17 million. Re-signing Evans first would help the team's short-term cap flexibility, allowing the Buccaneers to shift much of his $12.2 million cap hit from void years into future seasons.
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Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Huge production in playoff loss
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Evans secured eight of 12 targets for 147 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 31-23 divisional-round loss to the Lions on Sunday.
After a relatively quiet performance in the wild-card win over the Eagles, Evans reassumed his usual role as the clear-cut top target for Baker Mayfield, finishing with team-high figures across the board for the Buccaneers' pass catchers on the day. The highly decorated veteran delivered a clutch 16-yard touchdown grab with 4:37 remaining to bring Tampa Bay within one possession, and he was also the intended target on the subsequent two-point conversion attempt that fell short on a play on which there was contact between Evans and the defensive back. A disappointing conclusion to the season doesn't take away from the fact Evans looked as effective as ever in 2023, finishing with a 79-1,255-13 line across 17 regular-season games. With his reception and yardage totals his highest since 2018, Evans, a pending free agent, figures to command a lucrative new contract from either the Bucs or on the open market this offseason.
