The 49ers will once again trot out a talent-rich wideout room, headlined by new acquisition Mike Evans. How will Evans, Ricky Pearsall and the gang impact fantasy football? Ian hartitz dives in as part of his 2026 San Francisco 49ers Team Preview.

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Is Mike Evans A Perfect Fit In The 49ers Offense?

• WR1: Mike Evans (WR22 in our consensus fantasy football rankings)
• WR2: Ricky Pearsall (WR44)
• WR3: De'Zhuan Stribling (WR61)
• WR4: Christian Kirk (WR94)
• WR5: Demarcus Robinson

Mr. 1,000 left Tampa Bay as the franchise's all-time leader in virtually every receiving statistic, including receptions (866), receiving yards (13,052) and receiving touchdowns (108). Of course, Evans (33 in August) didn't quite resemble the same beast we've grown used to seeing in 2025. The dropoff in efficiency certainly was impacted by a September hamstring injury as well as a broken collarbone in October, but yeah: Silly analytics like yards per target (71/79), passer rating when targeted (71st) and catch rate (75th) say Evans was one of the league's least-efficient WRs with his opportunities last season.

I mean, look at the man. He's OLD. Historically, his age group hasn't made a habit of putting up big-time fantasy numbers.

Fantasy Football Outlook For Buccaneers Wide Receivers

The most concerning part here might be Evans' newfound inability to separate. Obviously, the gargantuan 6-foot-5, 231-pound receiver is always capable of turning 50/50 contested catches into 70/30 propositions in his favor, but ESPN's Open Rating (meant to help quantify separation ability) paints a pretty concerning picture here.

Evans' rank in ESPN's Open Rating:

• 2023: 77 (12th)
• 2024: 91 (tied for 1st)
• 2025: 46 (tied for 79th)

Now, as Emeka Egbuka's annoyed fantasy managers know, we also didn't exactly get the best version of Baker Mayfield in 2025. Pro Football Reference ranked Mayfield as just the QB27 in terms of on-target pass percentage, a far cry from his 10th-place finish in 2024. Throw in plenty of target competition, and there are more than a few variables that help explain Evans' down 2025 campaign.

Ultimately, Evans is similar to CMC, where it's tough to paint an overly bad projection—Evans comes in as the WR18 in our fantasy football projections—without the crutch of simply assuming he'll get hurt. This risk sure seems baked into his borderline WR2 price tag. Like Davante Adams: Having 100% exposure to an aging, increasingly banged-up former great is scary, but I'm cool with clicking Evans amongst the current rookie receivers and borderline RB2 types that he's currently going around.

Also note: I was PUMPED to draft all sorts of Ricky Pearsall when he looked like the team's clear-cut No. 1 receiver, but the additions of Evans and De'Zhaun Stribling complicate that. Still, Pearsall's silky-smooth route-running ability could help him win out anyway; his WR4 price tag feels closer to his floor than his ceiling inside this aging offensive attack. … Stribling was widely viewed as a reach when the 49ers took him at the top of Round 2, but the Ole Miss product does admittedly have some hot, nasty, badass speed, and his willingness to block makes it very possible that he essentially replaces Jauan Jennings in this offense from day one. It's tough to get too excited about year-one counting number expectations considering the team's other pass-game options at RB and TE, but I've been happy to take Stribling in the early parts of Round 2 rookie drafts after the top-six WRs, top two TEs, top two RBs and top two QBs are off the board.

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