The 49ers are heading into Week 7 with a thin margin for error and an even thinner wide receiver room.
San Francisco, the NFL’s only 6-0 team, is dealing with real injury problems as it prepares for Atlanta. The expected hit came Friday when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the team had officially ruled out Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel for Sunday’s game against the Falcons.
"49ers ruled out Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel for Sunday's game in Atlanta," Schefter reported Friday afternoon.
The decision had been looming all week, so it wasn’t a shock. Still, it leaves Brock Purdy with a stripped-down supporting cast against Atlanta. Evans, Samuel, De'Zhuan Stribling, Demarcus Robinson, and Ricky Pearsall are all either on injured reserve or out for this week.
There is at least one piece of good news for the offense: Christian Kirk is set to return, and he should slide in as the top target. After him, the healthy options are Brandin Cooks, Jordan Watkins, and Jacob Cowing.
Even with Kirk back, this is not a group loaded with proven depth. George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey are expected to see plenty of work as well, and the 49ers will likely lean heavily on both. But there’s no getting around the state of the pass-catching group heading into this matchup.
The timing does offer some relief. With the Week 8 bye coming up, both Evans and Samuel get extra time to recover, and a return could come in Week 9 against the Las Vegas Raiders if they’re ready.
For Sunday, though, Kyle Shanahan will have to piece together an offense without nearly all of his top wideout options.
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49ers Suddenly Have Real Freedom To Go All In
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