Evans left the game after putting together a strong first half, hauling in 3 catches for 34 yards and a touchdown before taking a direct helmet shot to his oblique area, which caused him to leave the game before ultimately being carted off to the locker room. Head coach Kyle Shanahan later told the media that the team does not yet know the exact extent of the injury, noting they couldn’t immediately tell if it was a broken rib or an oblique issue, with further clarity expected following tests on Monday.
With Evans sidelined, quarterback Brock Purdy leaned heavily on George Kittle, who paced the passing attack with 6 catches, 82 yards, and two touchdowns. Assuming Evans misses significant time, and with Demarcus Robinson on injured reserve, the 49er WR corps could be more shorthanded than usual. The only other active receivers on the roster today were Jacob Cowling (2 targets), Jordan Watkins (0 targets), and Khadarel Hodge (0 targets), although the team did recently sign veteran Brandin Cooks to the practice squad.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (ribs) is ...
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans fought through...
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (ribs, ...
We finally have a timeline for De’Zhaun Stribling’s ankle injury, and its not great. While Maiocco says the team believes he will return this season, the 10 week timeline would see Stribling returning week 12 for their bout against the Seattle Seahawks, about 2-3 weeks before the fantasy football playoffs begin in most leagues, assuming the team sticks to the timeline and there are no setbacks.
In the meantime, teammates Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel will likely see increased opportunities after logging 63% and 41% of total snaps against Los Angeles, trailing only Mike Evans‘ 75% snap share. Despite the large gap in overall snap counts, Deebo ran only two fewer routes than Robinson, and was targeted at a much higher rate. The target hierarchy will get murkier after week 5, when Christian Kirk is eligible to come off of IR, so fantasy managers should continue to monitor how these players are deployed in the coming weeks if they hope to take advantage of Stribling’s vacated targets.
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.
Fantasy managers who spent the preseason envisioning rookie receiver De’Zhaun Stribling running away with an immediate starting job might need to temper their expectations as he is slated to open the year in the slot, while Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel line up outside and in two-receiver sets.
An older prospect (24) who spent five years in college, Stribling was surprisingly taken in the second round of the 2026 NFL draft by the 49ers. Since then, he has gone on to make a lot of noise this pre-season, hauling in 11 passes for 109 yards over the two games he has been active, and flashing the 97th percentile Burst Score that has managers excited for his potential. His August performance combined with Mike Evans missing some practices due to injury has led to a significant rise in his ADP, streaming it from the 150 range, to the sub 110 range. Now with Evans returning to practice and Stribling beginning the year in the slot, seasonal drafters should temper their expectations, at least to for the time being.
Things seem to be lining up nicely for Tampa Bay’s 2026 3rd Round pick Ted Hurst. Mike Evans is gone, Emeka Egbuka is dealing with turf toe, Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson have not been healthy, and word coming out of Tampa Bay is that Hurst has supplanted Johnson on the depth chart and has been turning heads all offseason. Hurst could also be the new X-WR (Mike Evans replacement) for the Buccaneers. So it’s not surprising that Hurst is “going to play a role” this season.
With a 95th percentile speed score, 85th percentile burst score, 73rd percentile catch radius, Hurst is big, fast, strong, and, has burst. He dominated in college with a 27.8% target share and college dominator rating of 33.6%, and could very well wind up doing the same, or more, in the NFL. Hurst is currently WR 50 on PlayerProfiler’s Dynasty Rankings and he’s also worth rostering in seasonal-redraft leagues, and probably asap in order to beat that possible week 1 waiver wire rush.
~Jason Diaz
Mike Evans continues to manage soft-tissue issues in camp, but his minor groin strain will not likely derail his Week 1 availability. The 33-year-old wide receiver brings elite size-adjusted athleticism to San Francisco and would be poised for a monster season, if healthy.
While recent missed time requires vigilance from fantasy gamers, his projected Red Zone Target Share and high-leverage role keep him firmly in the weekly starting mix. Evans has recently slipped to WR26 in the 2026 player rankings.
