Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Ja'Marr Chase

Saturday, July 12, 2:22 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is entering the final year of his two-year, $41 million deal in 2025, and The Athletic's Dan Pompei writes that the team could have a difficult time retaining the future Hall of Famer beyond this season, especially at a similar price to what they just re-signed Chris Godwin at. Despite being close to turning 32 years old, Evans hasn't shown signs of slowing down, posting 1,000 yards receiving in 2024 for the 11th straight season while also scoring 11 touchdowns. Tampa certainly doesn't want to lose one of the greatest players in franchise history who is also highly respected in the locker room, but it remains to be seen how this will play out following the 2025 season after they took wideout Emeka Egbuka in the first round this year. For fantasy purposes, Evans is a high-end WR2.

Thursday, July 17, 8:29 AM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase told CBS Sports this week that he expects the NFL to see its first 2,000-yard receiving season in the next three years. He continued to say that he thinks it will be either him or Justin Jefferson who accomplishes the feat. That being said, a reverse of fortune in Cincinnati is likely more important to the young receiver as the Bengals have missed the playoffs for two straight seasons. While the team's offense has been elite, the defensive side of the ball has been an issue of late. Chase stated, "The defense is going to have to step up...and make some stops." He went on to say, "That's all we ask them to do." The team added a new defensive coordinator, hiring Al Golden after letting long-time DC Lou Anarumo go following the 2024 season. From a fantasy perspective, Chase remains a locked-in WR1 in any format regardless of the state of the Cincy defense.