Mike Evans Stuck on 49ers' Injury List as WR Room Thins Out
Evans still isn't practicing, and with Ricky Pearsall done for the year, San Francisco's passing game is already running on fumes in August.
No practice return until fully cleared — monitor his acclimation window.
- Evans still sidelined, no practice return date given
- Pearsall out for season with right-knee PCL injury
- Kirk (calf) out since late July, Stribling (hamstring) also out
- Deebo Samuel: 188 PPR pts in 2025 (16 games), our WR24
- Kittle recovering from torn Achilles at nearly 33
Mike Evans, San Francisco's marquee offseason receiver addition and the clear No. 1 on the depth chart, still hasn't returned to the practice field. The 49ers have kept the details vague since he first popped up on the injury report, but the silence tells its own story: this is a team that isn't going to rush a soft-tissue issue with September looming.
And Evans isn't the problem — he's just the latest domino. Ricky Pearsall is already out for the season with a PCL injury in his right knee. Free-agent depth signing Christian Kirk (28 rec, 239 yds, 1 TD, 58 PPR pts in 13 games last season) has been down with a calf strain since late July, and second-round rookie De'Zhaun Stribling is nursing a hamstring. That's four receivers in the trainer's room before the games count.
The knock-on effect: Deebo Samuel, back with the franchise after Pearsall's injury surfaced, now projects as the No. 2 option behind Evans. Samuel posted 188 PPR points across 16 games in 2025, though his form dipped hard down the stretch — his last five games ran 4.6 fantasy points below his season average. He's our WR24 heading into the year.
The Bigger Injury Picture
It doesn't stop at wideout. George Kittle is still working back from the torn Achilles he suffered in last season's playoffs, and there's no firm timeline on his return. He went for 57 catches, 628 yards and 7 scores across 11 games last year (162 PPR points, our TE13), but an Achilles tear at nearly 33 is a legitimate flag on his ceiling. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk even joined the list Wednesday with a broken finger.
Then there's Brock Purdy, who threw for 2,167 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 picks in just nine games last season (179 PPR points, our QB23). He needs reps with a receiving corps that keeps rotating in and out of the training room. Every day Evans and Kirk sit is a day of chemistry Purdy isn't building.
Fantasy takeaway: don't panic-drop Evans, but temper the price you're paying. Soft-tissue injuries linger, and San Francisco has every reason to sit him until he's fully cleared. Treat him as a monitor-and-wait — a Round 3-4 talent whose stock softens if he misses the ramp-up. Deebo is the safer 49ers pass-catcher to bank on right now, and Kirk shouldn't be on your radar until he's actually practicing.
