Fantasy Football Player Notes

Evans' return to this offense has been seamless as Cinderella and the glass slipper. In each of his two games back, he has paced the team in targets. Coming through with six receptions for 132 yards in Week 15, and five receptions for 31 yards and a score in Week 16, he is firmly back in the fantasy WR1 range. With two huge games to close out the season and potentially sneak into the playoffs, Evans and Baker Mayfield will need to be clicking. This week, they take on the Dolphins, who let Joe Burrow and the Bengals hang up 45 points last week. Evans is primed for another good fantasy week and should be able to come through even if this defense shuts down Quinn Ewers and company.

Ricky Pearsall is set to return this week from knee and ankle injuries. I can't trust Pearsall as a flex play this week. In three of the four games played since his late season return, he failed to surpass 15 receiving yards, and he's still searching for his first touchdown since his first return to the lineup in Week 11. Since Week 11, Pearsall has had only a 13.6% target share, 1.16 yards per route run, and a 16.7% first-read share. Pearsall likely also isn't 100% healthy. I can't trust this type of volatility in championship week.