Think Ryan Fitzpatrick might be good for Lee Evans?
Lee Evans hit the waiver wire in a couple of my leagues, and it got me wondering — would he be worth a pickup now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starter in Buffalo?
Looking back to 2009, Evans averaged 3.0 catches for 36 yards and 0.43 TD with Trent Edwards at QB and 2.6 catches for 40 yards and 0.44 TD with Fitzpatrick.
In other words, there wasn’t much of a difference who was playing QB for the Bills — Evans’ numbers were about the same.
That said, I wouldn’t be opposed to picking him up if I had an open roster slot just to see what happens over the next couple of weeks. Buffalo has a fairly easy schedule for the rest of the season and Evans is just 29 years old, so it’s not like he’s over the hill. However, he hasn’t been fantasy starter-caliber since the 2008 season (63-1017-3), so one wonders what kind of upside he really has at this point. It’s important to note that last season (by far the worst of his last four), he was playing second fiddle to Terrell Owens.
If he just went back to his 2007 and 2008 averages — 3.7 catches for 51 yards, along with his career 0.4 TD per game average — he’d post 11.2 fantasy points per game. Those are WR26-type numbers. That makes him a decent WR3 option, which means he should be owned in most leagues.
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Posted in: Fantasy Football, NFL
Tags: fantasy football strategy, Lee Evans, Ryan Fitzpatrick
You mean Fitzpatrick at the end of the 2nd paragraph, not Fitzgerald.
And after bringing up those numbers, I don’t see where there is any hope that he will randomly return to 07-08 form.
Yes, I meant Fitzpatrick. Too many Fitzys.
The only reason I’m mildly optimistic is because the difference between 09 and 07-08 is that TO was there in 09. With TO gone, Evans could very well return to form if he gets decent play at QB.
I know this is an older post, but I wanted to add my two cents on Lee Evans. His numbers have been hampered by the QB’s throwing to him since his entry into the league. He has top 5 WR speed and may have the best hands in the league. He’s essentially a Marvin Harrison for a really bad team, so he will never put up hall-of-fame statistics without a Peyton, but he is one of the best wide receivers the league has seen over the last decade.
When considering his statistics, keep this in mind: While putting up decent numbers, he has had some of the worst QB’s throwing to him in over the last several years. Give him a decent QB and he will absolutely explode in your fantasy league.