Mike Evans vs Colston Loveland

“With Ricky Pearsall now missing the season with his PCL injury, it is rookie De’Zhaun Stribling and Christian Kirk behind Mike Evans”

“Mike Evans is now in San Francisco, which is important because when Evans wasn’t on the field last season, Egbuka’s target share was 28%”

“Yet, Samuel could be Brock Purdy’s top wide receiver at some point this year given Mike Evans ‘ recent injury history”

“A fully healthy Mike Evans in this Kyle Shanahan system is a lock for 70+ receptions, 1,000+ yards ( obviously ), and 8+ TDs…that baseline would have been enough to finish as the overall WR11 in 0.5 PPR scoring in 2025, and is the exact reason The Path to a WR1 Season for Mike Evans is paved with gold.”

“Big Mike joins an offense with arguably the best overall RB, TE, and head coach in the entire league, and although this sounds like a recipe for disaster for a veteran recovering from a season plagued by injury, I tend to look at his move west in a similar light to all those optimistic prospectors from the mid-1800s…becuase let me tell you, Mike Evans on this 49ers team is going to be fantasy gold .”

“Mike Evans has a new home with the 49ers, and he looks like a wonderful value in fantasy drafts.”

“49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk had high hopes for new WR Mike Evans , but he was still surprised by the veteran’s ability to completely dominate practice, especially during red-zone periods. “The expectations we had for Mike were already high … he’s a Hall of Famer … and he blew us all away,” Juszczyk said, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic . “He was unguardable in practice, especially in the red zone. And he fits in so well.””

“Evans is almost 33 years old with an accumulation of injuries over 12 years. We are dangerously close to the performance cliff here, so it is perilous to assume that he will just absorb most of the 168-target vacancy.”

“Watch this space with the arrival of Mike Evans in San Francisco. Evans has been an integral part of one of the most efficient offenses in this category during his time down in Tampa Bay, and it will be interesting to see if that advantage translates to the same extent in Kyle Shanahan's system.”

“The offense will also no longer have Mike Evans after he departed in free agency for the 49ers.”

“The concerns revolve around durability and age. At 33 years old, Evans enters a completely new offensive environment while carrying a long history of hamstring issues. Erickson suggested fantasy managers may eventually want to capitalize on a fast start by trading him before those risks become more significant later in the season.”

“Evans joins an offense led by Brock Purdy after building a career around scoring touchdowns and producing 1,000-yard seasons. Erickson believes that touchdown upside remains very real, making Evans capable of delivering week-winning fantasy performances.”

“Colston Loveland (CHI) — TE3, Overall RK41, Bye: 10 The 10th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Colston Loveland put together an impressive rookie season that got better and better as it wore on.”

“Mike ended the round taking his fourth different position of this draft and going with Bears TE Colston Loveland .”

“Sleeper lists Trey McBride at $34, Brock Bowers for $27, and Colston Loveland at a shamefully low $18.”

“Round 3: Colston Loveland (TE – CHI) Colston Loveland is currently going closer to the fourth round in ADP, but the case here is that he’ll settle into a firm third-round price by the time draft season peaks, similar to how the market was slow to catch up on Trey McBride ‘s ascension a year ago.”

“Loveland is the type of talent who can win downfield, which is exactly what you want from your fantasy tight end. As Caleb Williams heads into Year 2 of the Ben Johnson era, expect more familiarity with the scheme, which can help Loveland eclipse 1,000 yards.”

“Colston Loveland turned it on down the stretch last year, showcasing impressive production from Week 7 through Chicago's Divisional Round loss with 67% route participation, 6.9 targets per game, 65 receptions, 852 receiving yards, and 6 receiving touchdowns across 14 games. If his 72.4% route participation rate from the playoffs sticks or takes a step forward, Loveland can be less efficient while still posting monster numbers, putting the overall TE1 in his range of outcomes.”

“Loveland clearly won the favor of Ben Johnson as he had at least 15% of the team's targets in each of the final nine games, ending with 713 total receiving yards. It was a strong showing for the rookie TE, who could very likely lead the team in targets in 2026.”

“Colston Loveland was also in a rotational role for the first 7 weeks, but got his first chance at a full-time role due to Cole Kmet's injury in Week 8. He had a breakout game one week later vs. the Bengals and gradually increased his playing time over the remainder of the season, finally emerging as a true every-down player at the end of the year.”

“Even in a split season of work as a rookie, Loveland showcased his weekly upside. He logged four weeks as a top-three scorer at the position. The only player to match that was Trey McBride, who led the position with eight of those weeks.”

“It took a bit for Loveland to get going as a rookie as he worked his way into the lineup and recovered from an offseason shoulder injury, but the wait was worth it. Over the final five games of the season, Loveland was on the field for 80.9% of the team's dropbacks, receiving a target on 30.5% of his routes with 2.34 yards per route run.”

“Even though he managed just 53 receptions and 713 yards as a rookie, Loveland was fourth at his position in air yards and third in deep targets. If that kind of usage on the field keeps up, Loveland is going to be looking at a ton of deep catches and touchdowns.”

“Colston Loveland started his rookie year slowly but was TE2 in fantasy scoring from Week 9 through the end of the regular season. Over his last four games, the hyper-athletic Loveland averaged 12.0 targets, 7.0 catches, and 94.5 yards, with two touchdowns.”