Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
While most of the attention for Texas A&M football players may revolve around Johnny Manziel, do not forget about the wide receiver who helped make him a star. Mike Evans should be in the draft plans for every fantasy football player in 2014.
There are question marks at most key positions this year for the 2014 NFL Draft, but the wide receiver class is absolutely stacked. The top- three wide receivers for this draft are generally agreed upon as Sammy Watkins, Marqise Lee and Evans, and each player could become a top-20 wide receiver as rookie. While Watkins and Lee have been linked to less than stellar offenses, the Baltimore Ravens and Evans have shown mutual interest in each other. Quarterback Joe Flacco has made wide receiver Torrey Smith fantasy relevant for several years, and he could do the same with Evans.
One of the most important aspects of the college career of Evans was his ability to improve. In 2012, the young wide receiver totaled 1,105 receiving yards and caught five touchdowns. Evans really shined in 2013, however, with 1,394 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches. If you applied those statistics to the 2013 fantasy football season, A.J. Green posted similar numbers to those of Evans. Green finished fourth in scoring for wide receivers, and Evans would have been able to finish as a top-five receiver if his numbers applied to the NFL.
Like Manziel, the fantasy value of Evans is really tied in to where he plays. While all the hype will be surrounding Johnny Football leading up until the draft, pay attention to this 6-foot-5, 231 pound receiver. He has the strength and speed to become an instant starter for most teams, and fantasy owners will be more worried about drafting rookie running backs than rookie wide receivers. Use that to your advantage.
Now is the time to plan on how you will get this future fantasy stud on your team in 2014.
Jack Delaney is fantasy football writer for www.Rantsports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @jackbmore13, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
