What is confirmed
Evans will not play in Week 7. He hurt his Achilles in Monday night's 23-17 win over Washington, leaving after three catches for 94 yards, and Shanahan said afterward that Evans had aggravated soreness he was already managing. Evans did not practice Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, per RotoWire.
Samuel (hamstring) is also out. That part was expected. Shanahan said last week that Samuel would miss at least a couple of weeks, and the team chose to keep him off injured reserve so he could sit the Washington and Atlanta games and use the bye to heal.
What is still unclear
The 49ers have not put a return date on either player, and neither one is headed to IR. Garafolo noted that the Week 8 bye gives Evans two full weeks of rest. That makes Week 9 the realistic target for both, but nothing is set.
Why it matters for RSO owners
The unbeaten 49ers go to Atlanta without two of their top three receivers. Christian Kirk (calf) is expected to play, per Underdog NFL, and should see more targets than usual. Tight end George Kittle is the other obvious candidate to pick up the extra passing work.
Evans is a veteran on a short window, so his contract value comes from playing now. Losing Week 7 and the bye in a row means two weeks of zero points from a roster spot you are paying for.
What to do now
Bench Evans and Samuel for Week 7. If your league lets you put players listed as out in an IR slot, use it for this week and grab a receiver who will play. Kirk is a reasonable short-term start in deeper leagues. Don't sell Evans cheaply over an injury that the 49ers are treating as a rest problem.
What to watch next
Watch the 49ers' first practice report after the bye. Evans needs to practice without limits on that Achilles before he can be trusted in a lineup again. Samuel's hamstring timeline points to the same week.
