Mike Evans Poised To Shine On New Team

In need of help at wide receiver, the San Francisco 49ers made a splash by signing Mike Evans away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Entering his 13th season in the NFL, the 49ers hope to have stabilized their WR1 spot with the addition of the reliable veteran. With plenty of targets likely coming his way in an explosive offense, Evans has plenty of bounce-back potential in fantasy football.

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Streak Snapped

Evans entered the league and became productive right away, posting 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns his rookie season. Entering 2025, he began his career with 11 straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. He also hauled in at least 10 touchdown passes in a season six times. Although he never posted at least 100 receptions in a season, he was one of the best deep threats in the league. In nine different seasons, he averaged at least 14.0 yards per reception.

Injuries nearly cost Evans his 1,000-yard streak in 2024, but he eked out 1,004 yards despite only playing 14 games. The same luck didn’t come his way last year with injuries limiting him to only eight games. The result was him catching 30 of 62 targets for 368 yards and three touchdowns. On the bright side, he still had an average depth of target of 13.2 yards.

No. 1 Option For San Francisco

When the 49ers signed Brandon Aiyuk to a hefty contract extension in the summer of 2024, they hoped he would lead their wide receiver group for years to come. Since then, he has played a total of seven games with the team because of injuries and off the field issues. Although he is still under contract, he apparently no longer wants to play for the team. He is currently on the reserve/left squad list and has likely played his last snap as a member of the 49ers.

Evans doesn’t have much competition to be the top wide receiver in San Francisco. Ricky Pearsall hasn’t been able to put things together after being selected in the first round of the 2024 Draft, appearing in a total of just 20 games over his first two seasons. He is already dealing with a knee injury, putting even more question marks around his role this season.

Behind Pearsall on the 49ers’ depth chart at wide receiver is Christian Kirk, who will be on his third team over the last three seasons. The veteran receiver has struggled with injuries, appearing in 13 or fewer games in each of the last three seasons. The last two campaigns, he combined for only 55 receptions and 618 yards. If Pearsall and Kirk can’t stay on the field, Demarcus Robinson and rookie second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling could be forced into more snaps.

Potent 49ers Offense

Even with injuries and question marks at wide receiver last season, the 49ers ranked 10th in the NFL by averaging 25.7 points per game. That’s despite Brock Purdy playing only nine games. According to 4for4’s NFL Team Stat Explorer, the 49ers still ranked 12th in explosive pass rate and eighth in average yards per drive (35.8).

Christian McCaffrey did a lot of the heavy lifting for the team least year, receiving 311 rushing attempts and 129 targets. Now 30 years old, that type of workload might not be sustainable two seasons in a row. Tight end George Kittle would be a threat for 100 targets if he could stay healthy, but he hasn’t always been able to stay on the field. If he and/or McCaffrey were to miss any time, Evans would certainly receive no shortage of opportunities to contribute.

Evans also immediately becomes a top red zone target for the team. Since the start of the 2020 season, Evans received 92 red zone targets across 86 games. That included 37 targets within the five-yard line. In total, he posted 57 touchdowns over that span. The 49ers have a history of racking up touchdowns through the air, including last season when they had the fourth-most passing touchdowns (33) in the NFL. Since Purdy made his debut in 2022, the 49ers have ranked fourth, second, 14th, and fourth in the league in touchdown passes per season.

Despite Evans’ incredible consistency, he has an ADP of just 57, per 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP. That puts him at WR27 behind some inconsistent options including Jameson Williams (ADP 52) and D.J. Moore (ADP 55). Being selected right after him are two more players with some question marks in Rome Odunze (ADP 60) and Christian Watson (ADP 61). Even at his age, Evans can still pump out 1,000 receiving yards with the potential for double-digiti touchdowns in this potent offense. He is being taken as a WR3 in most fantasy football leagues, but he doesn’t need a lot to break his way to finish as a mid-tier WR2.

The Bottom Line

• Now a member of the 49ers, Mike Evans will look to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2025 campaign that broke his streak of 11 straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
• Behind Evans, the 49ers have a lot of question marks at wide receiver.
• According to 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP, Evans has an ADP of 57 and is WR27.
• Throughout his career, Evans has been a reliable option who racks up yards and touchdowns. As the top wide receiver for the 49ers, he comes with significant upside, despite his advancing age. While he is being drafted as a WR3 in fantasy football, there is a path to finish as a mid-tier WR2.