San Francisco will be without Mike Evans when it faces the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9.
Evans has already been ruled out and is listed with ribs and Achilles injuries. He had been playing through the rib issue he picked up in Week 3, and he also attempted to keep going after the Achilles problem surfaced in Week 6.
That injury flared up late in the first half of Week 6, and he has not practiced since. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers will need to manage the ailment over the course of the season.
General manager John Lynch drew a comparison on Thursday to the Achilles tendinitis Christian McCaffrey dealt with in 2024. McCaffrey missed almost all of training camp that year, along with the first eight weeks of the season, while handling that injury.
The bigger issue for San Francisco is how thin the receiver room looks around him. The 49ers have three healthy wide receivers on the active roster: Brandin Cooks, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins. Deebo Samuel is out with a hamstring injury, and Christian Kirk will miss Week 9 because of a knee injury.
There is at least a chance of reinforcements soon. Veteran Demarcus Robinson is expected to come off injured reserve after dealing with a high ankle sprain.
On the practice squad, San Francisco also has Wesley Grimes, KhaDarel Hodge, Will Pauling and Xavier Smith.
With Evans unavailable, Robinson is likely to function as the de facto No. 1 receiver, with Watkins lining up as the other starter.
The kickoff between San Francisco and Las Vegas has also been pushed back slightly from its original time. The game is now set for 1:25 p.m. Pacific Time.
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