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Fantasy Football: Mike Evans or Roddy White and Larry Fitzgerald?

By Dan Salem

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One wide receiver became a star as a rookie. The other two are savvy veterans who once shined. Fantasy Football 2015 is back and we’re talking hypothetical trades. Two sets of fantasy football players; who would you rather have? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

TODD:

It is officially fantasy football season. The interwebbings will soon be flooded with rankings, drafts, sleepers and busts if they aren’t already.

But that stuff doesn’t get at the meat of fantasy decisions. Anyone can know to take Jamaal Charles before Frank Gore, and that the latter may bust. Everyone can figure the upside to taking Odell Beckham, and real sleepers aren’t sleepers at all if they’re being talked about!

So with that, let’s take a deeper dive. I am going to supply two sides of a hypothetical fantasy football trade and you tell me which side would win the deal. These deals are isolated from league settings or roster construction. They are strictly either-ors.

Would you rather have…

A: Mike Evans
or
B: Roddy White and Larry Fitzgerald

Now things get interesting! Do you want the borderline top-10 fantasy wide receiver entering his second NFL season or do you want the pair of aging stars who might not deserve a start each week anymore?

If you believe in Mike Evans, this is pretty simple. Evans has number-one receiver potential in fantasy and is already there in real life. If he’s a stud again in 2015, then him with any old waiver wire receiver is a better duo than the opposite side of this trade.

Roddy White is now a second option for the Falcons and a third option in fantasy. He was solid last year, but the injuries began to take their toll. He also hasn’t had a stellar season since 2012.

For Larry Fitzgerald, he remains the number-one guy for Arizona but continues to toil away with questionable arms getting him the ball. 2014 was sorely disappointing but is that his fault? He scored 10 touchdowns as recently as 2013. Of course, the quarterback situation in Arizona may not be getting better until Fitzgerald is out of town or his career is over.

Don’t be blinded by the big names in this deal. For fantasy purposes, who ya got? I know this one depends just a little on league size because in a smaller league you will definitely want the higher-upside play of Evans. But in general, do you believe in Evans’ elite status? Do you believe the other two guys are finished at that level?

Dec 14, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (84) carries the ball as Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back

Antwon Blake

(41) attempts to make the tackle int he third quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

Wow, talk about a heavy hitter. Although Mike Evans was certainly a stud last season, both Fitzgerald and White had more receptions on equal numbers of targets. Where Evans dominated was in yards per catch and touchdowns. Now we’ve got ourselves a debate.

I’m torn on this trade because the two for one in fantasy has a lot to do with your current team. But with only these three wide receivers being considered, and no keepers involved, I’m taking the sophomore talent.

I don’t think Tampa Bay will be a good football team in 2015. They are one season away from serious competition, meaning their rookie quarterback, Jameis Winston, will be asked to throw a lot. When you are playing from behind, you have to throw the ball to catch up. Hence Evans’ high stats last season. I see no reason why this trend should change for him in Tampa Bay this year.

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Mike Evans shined with a quarterback last year who was ultimately replaced. This bodes well for his longterm potential as a stud receiver in the league. If his touchdowns dip at all, his value falls off precipitously. But who else do the Buccaneers have to throw to instead? Mike is the man.

The flip side is the veterans. Larry Fitzgerald saw the ball a lot in 2014, yet only scored twice with less than 800 yards. The Cardinals were a very good team, predicated on their defensive play. Arizona will likely go to Fitzgerald a lot this season by necessity, but he’d have to show a monolithic shift in reaching the endzone to have any real fantasy impact.

Roddy White actually had a solid year in 2014, yet his role appears to be shrinking in the Falcons offense. If Atlanta is anywhere near as bad as last year, White won’t be a fantasy factor. I’m all about the touchdowns, and Roddy is not the go to option for Atlanta when the endzone is concerned.

Next: Fantasy Football - Drew Brees or Eli Manning?

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