Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Chris Evans, RB CIN

Chris Evans

Bruce Matson Posted On June 9, 2021

The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty owners, we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In the Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profile and where they fit.

Name: Chris Evans

Position: Running Back

Pro Team: Cincinnati Bengals

College Team: Michigan Wolverines

Draft Status: Round six, 202 overall

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

PRO DAY REVIEW

Height: 5’11’’
Weight: 211 pounds
Arm Length: 32 1/2’’
Hand Size: 10’’
40 Yard Dash: 4.52 seconds
Vertical Jump: 40 1/2’’
Broad Jump: 127’’
Three-cone: 6.85 seconds
Bench Press: 20 reps

STRENGTHS

Runs with a lot of wiggle and can cover a lot of ground while moving laterally.
Has very smooth footwork.
His burst makes it easier for him to get through the hole and hit top speed once he gets to the second level of the defense.
Displays competent hands when catching the ball out of the backfield.
Can quickly regain speed after making his cut.

WEAKNESSES

Doesn’t have the long speed to be a home-run threat.
Lacks the vision and patience to wait for the running lane to open while approaching the line of scrimmage.
Has trouble chaining together moves in the open field.
Evans has only touched the ball 25 times since 2018.

OPPORTUNITIES

Right out of the gate, Evans will battle for the RB3 role on the team. Trayveon Williams will be his main competition. Williams was considered a very talented running back prospect from Texas A&M and fell to the Bengals in the sixth round in 2019. However, when given opportunities, he hasn’t been able to live up to his potential. Evans has a chance to take his spot on the depth chart.

If he can earn a spot on the 53-man roster, then it’s likely he will get the opportunity to prove what he can do on the field. Joe Mixon has had his share of injuries over the course of his career. Samaje Perine is a powerful plodder who packs little burst. Injuries happen at the running back position and we could hear his name called if something happens to Mixon or Perine.

THREATS

Mixon is the biggest threat in the Bengals’ backfield. He has the potential to be one of the best running backs in the league. The team likes him, and they want him to be their feature back for a long time. He is signed with the team through 2024. The caveat to his contract is the team has a potential out due to dead cap after this season. As long as Mixon is on the field producing, there’s no chance another running back is going to swoop in and steal some thunder.

There’s a big elephant in the room and it’s hard to ignore. Evans has day-three draft capital, making him a very dangerous prospect to hitch our wagon to. The team literally has no sunk cost accounted for him and won’t hesitate to cut him if things don’t work out. The threat of him not panning out makes his floor bottomless in fantasy.

SHORT-TERM EXPECTATIONS

We should expect him to compete for a roster spot in camp and challenge Williams for the RB3 job in the Bengals’ depth chart. If he can win a spot on the 53-man roster then he’s a moment away from seeing snaps and touches.

If he can’t earn that role, the team might roll with him on their practice squad or cut him. By hanging out on the practice squad, there will always be the chance he gets called up to the 53-man roster to play in some games. There’s also a high probability another team is going to sign him to their practice if he gets cut. We should at least expect him to be in the league this season.

LONG-TERM EXPECTATIONS

The highest probability outcome for his career is him floating around the league as a backup. Generally, the odds are stacked against him due to him being a late-round draft pick who handled just 16 carries in the last two seasons. There are no elite traits on his prospect profile. He has good size and can run with some burst, but there are a lot of running backs in the NFL that can do what he can do. Evans will need to rapidly develop if he wants to be a long-term option in the league.

Dynasty managers are not drafting him with the expectations of him being a key asset to their team. He’s a player who is borderline free to stash at the end of your taxi squad. At the end of the day, fantasy managers won’t think twice to cut him to make room for a more promising player from the waiver wire.

NFL PLAYER COMPARISON

If we want to compare him to an actual starting running back in the league, then we would want to look at Aaron Jones. Both players were late-round prospects. They have some similarities when it comes to size and athleticism. On the contrary, Jones was more dominant at the collegiate level and is more finely tuned when it comes to reading the defense, pass-blocking, and catching the ball out of the backfield.

Another running back that he draws comparisons to is Dexter Williams, a 2019 sixth-round pick drafted by the Green Bay Packers. Evans’ career will likely parallel Williams’ career by hanging out on the backend of the roster until the team finally parts ways from him. The two players are similar in size in athleticism. They lack the finer nuances in their games to carve out a role. Vision, approach to the line of scrimmage, and pass protection are all things they need to work on.

PROJECTED ROOKIE DRAFT RANGE

According to DLF’s May Rookie ADP, Evans is falling to the end of the fourth round with a 46.40 average draft position. He is being selected as the RB16 and is being selected ahead of Larry Rountree, Gerrid Doaks, Tommy Tremble, Demetric Felton. Where he is being drafted in rookie drafts should not be a surprise to anyone. He’s a late-round pick who has a lot of work to do before he is even considered a key proponent to the Bengals’ offense.

His value in superflex leagues is almost identical to his value in 1QB rookie drafts. According to DLF’s superflex ADP, Evans is being drafted at the RB16 with a 46.70 average draft position. This goes to show that no matter what the format is, dynasty gamers are making sure they Evans on their taxi squad before they exit their rookie drafts.

Author
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Bruce Matson

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

I'm a financial counselor for a hospital in South Central Ohio. I graduated from Muskingum University with a bachelor's in business while minoring in Economics and Accounting. I won my first fantasy football title with Jake Plummer as my quarterback.