Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans. Two sophomore wide receivers that were drafted within the top seven picks last year and who both enjoyed incredibly impressive rookie seasons. Given their immediate success last year, fantasy football owners were expecting big things from both players in 2015. Yet entering Week 9, Watkins had all of 11 receptions due to missing time with an ankle injury. Evans, who dealt with a hamstring injury during the first month, has been solid yet unspectacular. Overall, both WRs have been disappointments from a fantasy perspective.
But that changed on Sunday.
Watkins, who had been complaining of a lack of targets, saw eight balls thrown his way yesterday which he turned into 168 yards and one touchdown. Evans also lit it up for fantasy owners with his third 100-plus yard receiving day in seven games.
So with each receiver finally rounding into form, which one should you trust down the stretch?
"I'd still prefer Evans over Watkins, but perhaps that's mainly because I worry about Watkins' ankle injury affecting him the next two months, in addition to the schedule." ESPN Fantasy Football Insider Eric Karabell wrote. "The Buccaneers have an easier road, really. Even Bills coach Rex Ryan said postgame one of the main keys to the offense is simply keeping Watkins healthy, a risky predicament indeed. Evans couldn't match Watkins' 22 standard fantasy points in his team's loss to [Odell] Beckham's Giants, but he saw an impressive 19 targets and accrued 152 yards from rookie Jameis Winston. Evans was a more popular option this week as he's already clearly over his September hamstring woes and had a big Week 7 performance."
Overall, Watkins has caught 19 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns in five games (though one he left early due to injury). Evans has caught 32 passes for 538 yards and one touchdown in seven outings. But beyond their numbers, Evans has a higher upside due to the differences under center.
Tyrod Taylor has been very effective for the Bills when healthy (72.6 QBR, 108.8 passer rating this year), but he's averaging just 24 pass attempts per game and hasn't thrown more than 17 passes in his previous two outings. While Jameis Winston got off to a rough start to his rookie year, he hasn't thrown a pick in his last four games. For the season, he is averaging 31 passes per game with Evans seeing a sizable 10 targets every week.
When healthy, both players are difference makers. But Evans' star may be rising just a bit higher due to increased target volume and the improvement Winston has shown over the last month.
