Buccaneers ensure Mike Evans' deep-ball productivity gets 5th year

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up the fifth-year option on WR Mike Evans, making him the third 2014 first-rounder to have his option exercised.

• Evans ranked second in both overall grade as a WR (93.3) and receiving grade (92.2) in 2016.
• He saw the most deep-pass (20-plus yards) targets in 2016 with 39 – second (T.Y. Hilton) had 33.
• Evans’ six deep-pass touchdown receptions and 2.28 yards per route run were each the second-highest totals of his career, falling just short of his career-highs (7 TD, 2.39 YPRR)
• Of the NFL’s top four WRs in deep-pass touchdown receptions, Evans’ yards per route run was first.

Fantasy Slant: Following a disappointing 2015 campaign where Evans finished 26th among wide receivers in fantasy scoring, he rocketed to a second-place finish last year. Tampa Bay's offseason addition of DeSean Jackson figures to take some of the attention off Evans, which bodes well for his continued fantasy success. Evans is an elite-tier fantasy option in 2017.