Fantasy Football Player Notes

Mike Evans' consistency in fantasy football is astounding. Over the last eight seasons, he's hit 1,000 or more every year. He's finished as a top 20 wide receiver in weekly fantasy scoring in every season but one. Last season he ranked 11th in red-zone targets and second in total touchdowns at the receiver position. With Tom Brady back in the fold, Evans is a locked-in top 12 option at the receiver position.

Chris Godwin posted another stellar season last year as the WR7 in fantasy football. He set opposing defenses on fire as Tom Brady's underneath weapon, ranking eighth in YAC per reception and fifth in overall YAC yardage. The biggest question for Godwin in 2022 isn't talent, but his recovery from an ACL and MCL tear sustained in Week 15 of last season. Godwin is a top 15 fantasy wideout when 100%, but tempering expectations early on if he's limited pushes him into WR3 territory.

With the arrival of Julio Jones, the runway for Russell Gage isn't as clear as it once was. Chris Godwin's health reports returning with positive marks also muddies the water even more. Gage is a talented player who has the talent to take on a major role in this offense, but it's impossible to predict that now outside of Godwin missing time or a Julio Jones injury. Last year Gage was 17th in yards per route run (minimum 50 targets, per PFF) and 12th in route win rate (per Playerprofiler.com). With his target share in limbo, Gage has gone from a WR2/WR3 candidate to a WR4 with a possibly huge upside.

Julio Jones might not be the same player he was during his prime, but he's definitely not washed up. Last year Jones ranked 25th out of 90 wide receivers (minimum 50 targets, per PFF) in yards per route run (1.84). For added context, this was immediately ahead of Stefon Diggs and Diontae Johnson. Yes, this was also his career's lowest yards per route run, but even a watered-down version of Jones isn't a scrub. Now add that he's being air-dropped into one of the league's fastest, most pass-happy, and highest scoring offenses, and Jones becomes a magical upside ticket depending on where the market settles on him.