Lynch hopes Evans will practice next week

Stribling was carted from the game late in the second quarter after briefly attempting to play through the ankle injury he suffered earlier in the game. While there was some concern that his injury was Achilles-related, Shanahan’s comments after the game suggest there’s little reason to be concerned about his Achilles at this time. Stribling played 21 snaps in the first half of Thursday’s game but was held without a catch. We’ll likely get more clarity on his status in the coming days, but hopefully the worst was avoided here.

Evans made his debut with the 49ers and high-pointed a touchdown pass from Brock Purdy the way we’ve seen him do it for well over a decade with the Buccaneers. He did have a drop, but he was targeted early as the 49ers were pass-happy in the first half before needing less of an aerial attack over the final two quarters. Evans is always going to be a red-zone threat with his 6-foot-5 size, and stands a decent chance of scoring again in Week 2 against the Dolphins.

Stribling was carted off during Friday’s contest, and finished without a catch in his NFL debut. He’ll get a little longer to potentially return for Week 2 against the Dolphins, but obviously his status for that contest is very much in doubt.

Stribling hurt the ankle earlier in the contest, and while he was able to return shortly after, the rookie wideout was unable to continue and exited on the vehicle. It’s likely he won’t return to Friday’s game, but there should be an update on his status soon.

This is an encouraging piece of news from Evans, who dealt with a quad injury and an abductor injury during training camp. According to the 33-year-old vet, none of the injuries he was dealing with would have resulted in him missing game time, which should give fantasy managers a boost of confidence entering this season. Evans signed a three-year contract with the 49ers this offseason and is coming off a year in which he was limited to just eight games due to a hamstring injury and a broken clavicle. Evans is expected to serve as the Niners’ WR1 this season and profiles as a high-upside WR2 in fantasy who should provide plenty of big weeks this season.

In his projected depth chart, Barrows lists Stribling as both the starting slot receiver and the No. 2 X-receiver. He does not place Stribling on the Z-receiver depth chart, which could mean the rookie wide receiver has not yet earned a role in two-wide receiver sets. Veteran WR Deebo Samuel is the starting Z-receiver, though Barrows already reported that Samuel will take only “a portion” of the overall Z-receiver snaps. It would be surprising to see Nos. 2-3 Z-receivers, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing, play ahead of Stribling when Samuel needs a breather, but the season is long and Stribling can always change Barrows’ mind. Early in the year, Stribling is likely best treated as a WR4/FLEX candidate. Were Evans to miss time, Stribling would seemingly slide into a full-time starting role.

Evans missed the bulk of training camp with quad, groin, and abductor injuries. The team took a cautious approach to his practice regimen during the offseason, and it seems to have paid off with him back on the field today. Evans’ status on the 49ers’ practice report next week will be one of the bigger storylines for the 49ers, but all signs point to him being healthy for Week 1. Fantasy managers can keep drafting him as a low-end WR2 for the final week of the summer.

Evans has been dealing with a myriad of injuries throughout training camp, the latest being a groin issue. The injuries have been reported as minor as the 33-year-old manages his way through practices after having missed significant time due to injuries the last couple seasons. He was already expected to miss minimal time - if any - and Fowler confirms that Evans and the 49ers are still preparing for him to play Week 1.

Kyle Shanahan indicated Evans should be back to practice next week before leaving for Australia. The line between “Evans is being treated very carefully” and “Evans is always hurt” has been blurred for a few years now, but it doesn’t seem like he’s in any danger of missing time yet.

It would be really nice to see Evans consistently practice in full at this point, but both Inman and ESPN’s Nick Wagoner appear mostly unconcerned by today’s development. Per Wagoner, Evans stopped practicing after running a deep route on Sunday. Evans “seemed to be moving fine” after exiting. Wagoner adds that it is “clear he and the Niners want to be cautious to get him to the regular season ready to go.” Evans’ soft tissue concerns remain present, but as long as he takes the field on game day, he is a WR2 with WR1 upside.