Mike Evans hopes to continue his streak of 1,000 yards, but more importantly, he's hoping to improve his hands. He had a whopping 147 targets last season -- 10th in the league and a huge jump from the 124 he had his rookie season -- and he led the league with 11 drops. If you look at those drops game-by-game though, the game against the Giants produced more than half of those drops (six), in the rain. Go figure! Still, Evans felt he had a problem with drops, and he and quarterback Jameis Winston got together this offseason to work on improving their chemistry, which should mean more production. Vincent Jackson hopes to rebound from an injury-riddled season that saw him miss a game for the first time in four years. Has age caught up to him? Or can he still be an impact fantasy player?
Evans
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 152.9 targets, 79.8 receptions, 1196.1 receiving yards, 8.1 TDs, 167.6 pts
Over or under: I'm going under on the targets. There has been a greater emphasis on Winston spreading the ball around. That means getting slot receiver Adam Humphries and special teams ace Russell Shepard involved, and Louis Murphy (if healthy), along with running back Charles Sims, who is an asset downfield in the passing game. Tight end Cameron Brate has also shown he can be a very reliable target. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is also an option. I'm going under on receptions, too -- I'd say he's closer to 70 receptions, which is consistent with what he's done over the past two seasons. I'm going slightly over on receiving yards. I think he'll hit 1,200, and eight touchdowns feels about right -- rebounding from the three he had last season, but not quite the 12 he had his rookie season.
Jackson
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 94.9 targets, 51.1 receptions, 776.3 receiving yards, 5.2 TDs, 108 points
Over or under: I'm taking the over on targets, receptions, receiving yards and slightly over on touchdowns. Jackson missed six games last season, but prior to that, he hadn't missed a game in four seasons, nor had he dipped below 1,000 yards. Jackson might be 33, and might not be as fast as he once was, but he still moves better than plenty of his younger counterparts in the league. Yes, he's had a few injuries, but he's still the most reliable target Winston has. Winston has developed chemistry with Humphries, Shepard and Brate, and defenses will key in more on Evans, but Jackson still has a rightful place in Dirk Koetter's offense. Jackson is a savvy route-runner who can line up all over the field, including the slot, and he can still use his 6-foot-5 frame to his advantage.
Who else could see time: After Evans and Jackson, there is Murphy, but he's still recovering from a torn ACL, and Humphries, whom Koetter already named the team's third receiver. Special teams will probably continue to be Shepard's priority, so right now, there's a pretty significant drop-off after the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers, so Evans and Jackson are really the only two receiving options for the Bucs from a fantasy standpoint right now.
