There was never a reason to worry about Devonta Freeman last night, even in the second quarter when he coughed up the ball at the goal line, handing the TD to teammate Levine Toilolo (who no doubt earned it with his heads-up play). With Atlanta facing a brutally bad Bucs D giving up nearly 400 yards per game, the only question was whether Freeman would score. And he did. And all was right with the world (at least for those starting him--those opposing him might be pretty pissed this morning).
On the other side of the ball, it was encouraging to see Mike Evans get back on track. Except he really didn't. The writing's been on the wall for a while, and I was too blind to see it (several FF4W contributors and readers saw it coming long ago). Last year Evans earned 10.9 targets per game en route to tying for the most fantasy points among all fantasy wideouts. This year he's down to 8.8. Last year he averaged six catches per game. This season he's down to 4.6.
So what gives? First of all, he has a competent #2 receiver this year in DeSean Jackson, who's currently sitting on top 40 WR production with a 50/668/3 line. All three numbers are better than those of last year's #2, Adam Humphries. Second, Tampa Bay's averaging more than a minute less on offense than they did last year (29:36 vs. 30:48). Third, in the four games when Ryan Fitzpatrick took most or all of the snaps, Evans (who played in three of those games) averaged 15.5 fantasy points per game--nearly three points better than with Jameis Winston at QB.
Also keep in mind Evans had seven drops last season. This year? Only one. And he's reportedly been dealing with back issues, though who knows whether it's been severe enough to impact performance--especially since he's averaging a healthy 2.9 fantasy points per catch this year vs. last year's sky-high 3.2.
I'm guessing we'll hear more about the Bucs' issues after the season, as usually happens when a team seemingly on the rise endures a major unexpected regression. For now, those who believe Evans is overrated have a legit claim this season. But we can fairly easily identify some root causes to Evans' low-end WR2 numbers.
Heading into next year, I'll be looking closely at whether the team makes any significant offensive changes to free up Evans for a bigger piece of the offensive pie. The guy's only 24 years old. As I wrote a couple summers ago, he's a Hall-of-Fame-caliber player. Might seem odd to bring that up now in the face of a "down" season. But I remain highly bullish on Evans for years to come.
On the other side of the ball, it was encouraging to see Mike Evans get back on track. Except he really didn't. The writing's been on the wall for a while, and I was too blind to see it (several FF4W contributors and readers saw it coming long ago). Last year Evans earned 10.9 targets per game en route to tying for the most fantasy points among all fantasy wideouts. This year he's down to 8.8. Last year he averaged six catches per game. This season he's down to 4.6.
So what gives? First of all, he has a competent #2 receiver this year in DeSean Jackson, who's currently sitting on top 40 WR production with a 50/668/3 line. All three numbers are better than those of last year's #2, Adam Humphries. Second, Tampa Bay's averaging more than a minute less on offense than they did last year (29:36 vs. 30:48). Third, in the four games when Ryan Fitzpatrick took most or all of the snaps, Evans (who played in three of those games) averaged 15.5 fantasy points per game--nearly three points better than with Jameis Winston at QB.
Also keep in mind Evans had seven drops last season. This year? Only one. And he's reportedly been dealing with back issues, though who knows whether it's been severe enough to impact performance--especially since he's averaging a healthy 2.9 fantasy points per catch this year vs. last year's sky-high 3.2.
I'm guessing we'll hear more about the Bucs' issues after the season, as usually happens when a team seemingly on the rise endures a major unexpected regression. For now, those who believe Evans is overrated have a legit claim this season. But we can fairly easily identify some root causes to Evans' low-end WR2 numbers.
Heading into next year, I'll be looking closely at whether the team makes any significant offensive changes to free up Evans for a bigger piece of the offensive pie. The guy's only 24 years old. As I wrote a couple summers ago, he's a Hall-of-Fame-caliber player. Might seem odd to bring that up now in the face of a "down" season. But I remain highly bullish on Evans for years to come.