5 players fantasy football owners should hope are traded this offseason

3. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In league history, Evans’ is in some exclusive company with nine 1,000-yard seasons to open his career. He has been a top-10 fantasy wide receiver in six of those seasons, and top-eight five times (standard scoring).

One of those non-top-10 seasons was of course 2022 when he was WR16 in standard scoring. Having him on a fantasy roster and naturally in a fantasy lineup last season on a weekly basis was a rollercoaster ride, though he certainly won some league titles with a boom game in Week 17 (10 receptions for 207 yards and three touchdowns).

In Tampa Bay, Tom Brady is gone and one potentially viable option to replace him (Derek Carr) is going elsewhere in the NFC South to the New Orleans Saints. Kyle Trask would be the starter under center for the Buccaneers if the season started today, which of course it doesn’t. But they are so strapped financially that Jimmy Garoppolo might be the best they can do to add a veteran. Drafting someone is also a possibility.

Evans’ teammate Chris Godwin is worth a mention here as well. But while Godwin has time left on his contract, Evans has one year left on his deal that’s not a cap hit-stretching void year.

Anywhere Evans might go in a trade will have a better quarterback situation than what’s in line for Tampa Bay next season. There are big dead money implications for the Buccaneers attached to a pre-June 1 trade of Evans (h/t to Over The Cap), which would be lessened if a deal was made official after June 1.

However the mechanics of it looks in terms of salary cap implications, fantasy football managers don’t have to care about that. They should be crossing their fingers Evans is dealt this offseason.