Top 49ers WR and future Hall of Famer Mike Evans will miss Week 7’s Monday Night Football game due to his Achilles injury. Another missing weapon and challenge for Brock Purdy, as Evans’ 33.6% Target Rate ranks No. 3 for all WR’s.
Christian Kirk’s return from IR couldn’t come at a better time for the 49ers, as he will be one of four active WR’s for the 49ers in this game along with Brandin Cooks, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing. George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey should be heavily featured as well. Fantasy football managers will have to wait an extra week to see how Evans’ recovery is coming along, as the 49ers are on Bye in Week 8.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy passed for a ...
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is prepared to ...
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he ...
David Lombardi reports rookie RB Kaelon Black was added to the injury report as limited participant Thursday with a groin issue. Black surprised many in Week 1 by playing 43% of snaps, while rushing for 65 yards on 14 attempts and adding a 5-yard reception. Christian McCaffrey praised Black this week in an interview, likening his ability to have the impact for him that David Montgomery had last year on Jahmyr Gibbs and Tyler Allgeier had on Bijan Robinson to keep them fresh.
Black was a big riser after Week 1’s surprising performance and one of the biggest waiver adds of the week. Fantasy football manager’s will need to keep an eye on tomorrow’s practice report to see Black’s level of participation in order to get a better idea if he will be able to play this weekend.
Rapoport reports that De’Zhaun Stribling has a deltoid sprain in his ankle which is expected to keep him out at least a month. Stribling is seeking more opinions, and surgery is a possibility if it doesn’t improve on its own – which would shelve him for the rest of the 2026 season. Either way, this is already a brutal loss for the 49ers after already losing Ricky Pearsall for the season with a PCL injury.
Fantasy Football managers will have to hope Stribling can avoid surgery. After being a surprise early 2nd round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Stribling has impressed enough all offseason to rise up to No. 55 in PlayerProfiler’s WR dynasty rankings. At least for now, it’s next man up in San Francisco.
De’zhaun Stribling went into the medical tent earlier in the 49ers Week 1 game vs. the Rams and, shortly after returning, had to be helped off the field and eventually carted to the locker room after a non-contact injury.
The 49ers and fantasy football managers alike are hoping that this is just a scare and nothing serious, as Stribling is expected to have a key role for the 49ers after losing WR Ricky Pearsall for the season to a PCL injury. Stribling is ranked No. 49 in PlayerProfiler’s WR redraft rankings. For now, we hold our breaths while we wait for updates from the 49ers on Stribling.
49ers OC Klay Kubiak says George Kittle “looks good” for Week 1, adding that the veteran tight end’s workload will be determined after two more practices. Kittle appears on track to suit up against the Rams, but the snap count question matters after his recent injury absence and creates some early season volatility.
PlayerProfiler’s TE12 still shows the elite ceiling with a 24.6% target rate and 13 red zone targets in his previous season, reinforcing what Kittle can do when given a full workload. Kittle is trending toward playing, but fantasy managers should price in a reduced workload until the 49ers prove they are ready to unleash him. Until then, expect Jake Tonges to fill in and Brock Purdy to spread his passes out.
The oft-injured Christian Kirk will start the 2026 season on the IR with the calf injury he sustained during practice on July 26. This creates even more opportunity for the already-ascending-rookie De’
Kirk can be left on the waiver wire in seasonal leagues and would be a streaming option at best this season. On the other hand, Stribling can be drafted with confidence at his current ADP, as even if Kirk returns, he has not been productive since his 57 receptions for 787 yards and 3 touchdowns in 12 games in 2023.
