The San Francisco 49ers made a pair of roster moves Monday, and the biggest takeaway for fantasy players and anyone tracking injured wide receiver Mike Evans is this: Christian Kirk was not activated.
Instead, Kirk’s status was shifted from questionable to out when the 49ers released their Week 6 roster moves. That was the alternative to bringing him off injured reserve, where he remains after his practice window was opened ahead of Week 6.
Evans is listed as questionable with rib and Achilles injuries. If the 49ers had been leaning toward him sitting, the move that made the most sense would have been activating Kirk to add another body to the receiving group.
San Francisco still has two weeks to get Kirk onto the active roster before he reverts to season-ending IR. Because he was given a return designation when he was placed on IR at final cuts, he counts against the 49ers’ eight IR returns for the season.
Unless he hit another setback while working back from his calf strain, the expectation is that he should eventually land on the roster.
The 49ers did add some depth at receiver through practice squad elevations. Malik Turner was brought up, and linebacker Jalen Graham was also elevated to replace injured Garret Wallow.
Wallow was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Turner gives San Francisco extra help on special teams.
With Turner elevated and Kirk officially out, the 49ers’ current receiver depth chart includes Evans, Turner, Brandin Cooks, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins.
In Other News...
49ers Survived A Scare Thanks To One Late Defensive Stand
A tense Monday night in Washington nearly turned into a costly slip for the 49ers, who had to sweat through a second-half surge before escaping with their unbeaten record intact. Malik Mustapha came up with the kind of defensive play that can define a close game, helping San Francisco fend off a Commanders comeback after Washington had already lost top receiver Terry McLaurin to a knee injury.
The 49ers still left the field with a 6-0 start, but the night was not clean. An apparent Achilles injury to wide receiver Mike Evans added another layer of concern to a win that required late-game poise and a key stop when Washington seemed to be closing in on the end zone. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Primetime Scare Put Focus On Two Receivers For Very Different Reasons
Monday night put two receivers in the spotlight for very different reasons, and neither moment had much to do with the stat sheet. Terry McLaurin was being covered one-on-one by 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir when a knee injury stopped him in his tracks, turning a routine play into a grim scene that required a medical cart and an air cast.
On the other sideline, Mike Evans was still working through his own issues while catching passes from Brock Purdy, and he also showed a little class in the aftermath by shaking hands with McLaurin. Evans later exited briefly with an Achilles issue before making it back to the locker room under his own power, a reminder that even in a primetime game, health concerns can linger long after the next snap. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Injury Worry Just Put More Pressure On Their Receiver Depth
The 49ers left Sundays win over Washington with more than a few bumps to monitor, and the wide receiver group is suddenly a little thinner than the depth chart would prefer. Mike Evans came out of the game with an Achilles issue after what Kyle Shanahan described as a flare-up of tendinitis, while Luke Gifford also dealt with a groin injury and Upton Stout exited with a shoulder problem.
For a team already trying to manage its receiving options, the timing matters. Shanahan sounded encouraged about Evans recovery, and theres at least a chance Christian Kirk could be in the mix for Week 7, but the receiver room still has to navigate the immediate fallout with Demarcus Robinson not expected back this week. That leaves the 49ers watching the medical reports closely as they head into another short-term roster puzzle. [Read more 🡒]