Roundtable: Post Free Agency Dynasty Wide Receiver Fallers

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NFL free agency is a significant catalyst for dynasty value change. Our staff gathered to identify potential dynasty trade targets and players you could buy low or sell high. This section is about wide receivers with falling dynasty values.

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay

Jason Wood - Mike Evans has always been productive, but his catch rate always hovered near 50% before Tom Brady stepped into the huddle. With Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield at quarterback, Evans will struggle to be an every-week fantasy starter. Mayfield was disastrous for Jarvis Landry, and Evans needs a quarterback willing and able to throw downfield confidently and accurately.

Gary Davenport - Thanks in no small part to a massive performance in Week 17, Mike Evans of the Buccaneers posted 1,000 receiving yards for the ninth straight season. But the reality is that before that league-winning game in Championship Week, fantasy managers who rostered Evans weren’t exactly doing cartwheels over his 2022 performance. Now, Evans and Chris Godwin will be catching passes from Baker Mayfield, who has played a part in producing the same number of top-25 seasons from a wide receiver as Zach Wilson—one. There’s not much for Evans and Godwin dynasty managers to do but hold and hope that Mayfield’s a one-year starter in Tampa or gets beaten out by Kyle Trask.

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Joey Wright - Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is entering his tenth year in the NFL, and for nine straight seasons he has put up over 1000 yards receiving each year. The streak looks to be coming to an end with the arrival of Baker Mayfield in Tampa. Mayfield has only supported a 1000-yard receiving season twice in his career, coming in 2019 with Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham. You can try to deal Evans away to a win-now team on name value alone, but I wouldn’t expect much more than a second-round rookie pick in return.

Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas

Dave Kluge - After signing with the Las Vegas Raiders, Jakobi Meyers is trending downward. Fantasy analysts parrot the mantra, “targets are earned.” But taking that as an objective fact without any nuance is dangerous. Take Allen Lazard from 2021 to 2022, for example. The departure of Davante Adams opened up an opportunity, and Lazard’s target share jumped from 11.9% to 21.1%. Meyers has consistently hit a target share above 20% throughout his career, making him a favorite among analysts. But going from DeVante Parker and Nelson Algohlor to DaVante Adams and Hunter Renfrow could impact that gaudy target share. Meyers is a talented player, but a Jimmy Garoppolo-led Raiders offense isn’t expected to pack a ton of firepower. Meyers has been a steady WR3 over the last couple of seasons. Sitting atop this free agency class inspired some hope, but this landing spot is less than ideal and makes him a shaky fantasy asset.