Mike Evans to sign with the 49ers: Fantasy Football fallout, and what it means for Emeka Egbuka

Mike Evans is leaving Tamp Bay to join the San Francisco 49ers. He has reportedly agreed to a three-year contract with the team, which had big impacts in both Tampa Bay and San Francisco. Evans spent 12 years with the Buccaneers, topping 1,000 yards in 11 of them. He scored 108 touchdowns, went to six Pro Bowls, and won a ring. Now he moves across the country.

From Evans' Fantasy Football perspective this move could be great. The 49ers' wide receiver room is much thinner than the one in Tampa, particulary with Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, and Kendrick Bourne all headed to free agency. Brock Purdy is a quality starter who could be at least as good for Evans as Baker Mayfield was. And Evans' downfield profile fits exactly what Kyle Shanahan wants to do offensively. This is almost always one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL and if Evans is himself he could be a top 20 wide receiver once again.

The big question is whether Evans is still himself. He only played eight games last year due to hamstring and collarbone injuries and he will turn 33 before the 2026 NFL season begins. Last year when he was on the field he only played more than 70% of the offensive snaps in five of eight games and only had one game above 60 receiving yards. In 2025 Evans set career lows in yards per game, yards per catch, catch rate, and yards per target. Some of that can be contributed to his and Mayfield's health. But it is always risky to expect a bounce back from a 33-year-old wide receiver. For what it's worth, he did averaged better than nine yards per target in 2023 and 2024, so if there was a drop off it was a sudden one.

For now, it is best to view Evans as a high-upside WR3. The expectation should be that more target competition is coming in San Francisco and our Evans projection will eventually factor in the level of that competition. My initial projection is 60 catches for 734 yards and seven touchdowns but I will update that upwards if no one else of significance is added to the team.

Evans' impact in San Francisco and Tampa Bay may be bigger than the impact of his Fantasy production. This is a fantastic deal for Purdy who was looking at a very inexperienced wide receiver room and potentially not having George Kittle at the beginning of the season. Purdy is a solid low-end QB1 for 2026. It is probably bad news for Ricky Pearsall, who also works downfield like Evans, but just how bad this news is will be determined by who else joins Evans in San Francisco.

For now, Pearsall is still a boom/bust WR3 with upside. In Tampa the impact is reversed. Baker Mayfield loses his favorite end zone target but Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan all get a boost with Evans gone. Egbuka in particular has top 12 upside in Year 2, but is best drafted as a WR2. Godwin is likely more of a WR3, depending on how healthy he is come September. It will be tough to draft Mayfield as a top 15 QB without Evans after the way he finished 2025.