Mike Evans Limps Off Field In Week 3 With Leg Injury: Fantasy Football Impact

Mike Evans limped off the field in Week 3 with a leg injury, and his absence could reshape the Buccaneers’ offense and fantasy football outlook moving forward.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) warms up before a game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on the verge of a third straight win to open the 2025 NFL season, but things started to fall apart in the fourth quarter. Despite seemingly cruising past a New York Jets team without Justin Fields under center in Week 3, a blocked field goal and touchdown return gave the Jets a 27-26 lead with less than two minutes remaining.

Plus, early reports indicate that Tampa Bay could be without star wide receiver Mike Evans for Week 4.

Baker Mayfield was forced to complete a two-minute drill without Evans on the field. The Buccaneers led 26-3 at one point in this game. On the first play following the blocked field goal touchdown, Mayfield hit Egbuka for a 28-yard reception. He then targeted Egbuka again on the opposite sideline, where the rookie came down with a spectacular sideline catch off a deflected pass. However, Egbuka was ruled just out of bounds. But on the very next play, Mayfield hit Sterling Shepard for a 20-yard catch to put Chase McLaughlin and the Bucs in field goal range. 

Ultimately, McLaughlin would nail a 36-yard field goal to keep Tampa Bay’s undefeated season alive. The Bucs are now 3-0 but the passing attack is going to look a whole lot different if Evans is sidelined.

Evans has a history of hamstring injuries throughout his storied career and limped to the locker room in the fourth quarter. 

I everything was going well until this! Mike Evans limo’s off the filed with an apparent hamstring injury and he’s off to the locker room.

Looked pretty significant as he left the field…obviously he’s had a history of these hammy issues not good pic.twitter.com/S4HG6hySLV

— The JP Peterson Show (@JPPetersonshow) September 21, 2025

Fantasy Football Impact Of Mike Evans Injury

If Evans is forced to miss extended time, breakout rookie Emeka Egbuka becomes Tampa’s new de facto WR1. And with Chris Godwin heading towards a return, it would be just in time. 

Heading into Week 3, Evans had tallied 10 receptions on 19 targets for 107 scoreless yards. Prior to exiting Sunday’s game against the Jets, the veteran had posted four receptions for 33 yards and his first touchdown of the season. He now has 14 receptions, 140 yards, and one touchdown through three games. 

If Evans is sidelined, Baker Mayfield’s fantasy value would take a modest hit, while Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin would see a significant uptick in opportunity. Sterling Shepard could see a few additional targets as well. Additionally, running back Bucky Irving could gain momentum, as Tampa Bay may lean more on its ground game without its future Hall of Fame wideout. If Evans is out for the foreseeable future, Godwin's return can't come soon enough for a Buccaneers squad looking to finish atop the NFC South standings.

Mike Evans Preseason Analysis

The switch to Mayfield in 2023 was exactly what Evans needed to crank up his consistency. With Baker slinging it, Evans delivered double-digit fantasy points in 13 of 17 games and caught fire between Weeks 10–13, posting a ridiculous stretch of lines (6/143/1, 5/43/1, 6/70/2, and 7/162/1). He finished the season with 1,255 yards (his second-best mark ever) and rediscovered his touchdown groove with 13 trips to the end zone.

Mayfield peppered him with 136 targets — his highest since 2018 — and trusted him downfield, leading to a healthy 15.9 yards per catch. Evans added three more monster outings (Week 2: 6/171/1, Week 16: 7/86/2, Week 20: 8/147/1) and wrapped the year as the WR7 in PPR scoring (282.5).

Even with a slow start in 2024 — just 26 catches on 45 targets for 335 yards over his first seven games — Evans made up for it in the back half. After battling through a hamstring issue, he caught fire down the stretch with 48/669/5 over his final seven games, including four matchups with eight or more grabs. He even carried that production into the postseason with a strong 7/92/1 outing. Evans ultimately finished WR14 in PPR scoring (240.4).

Already cemented among the greats, Evans ranked 24th all-time in receiving yards (12,684) and 9th in touchdowns (105) heading into the 2025 season. His streak of 1,000+ yard seasons is now at 11 straight, a record-setting run of excellence.

Evans' explosive plays and red-zone dominance has always been his specialty. Drafted as the WR20 this fantasy season, Evans had built-in value. However, at 32, age is a red flag, and now a potentially significant hamstring injury could derail his 2025 campaign.

---

This is a situation to monitor closely. Here's the play in which he sustained the injury.

Mike Evans injurypic.twitter.com/tASybXFcWV https://t.co/i1DkBjRqs0

— Pick 6 Pack (@Pick6PackFB) September 21, 2025

Editor's Note: This is a developing story. More details to follow.