Mike Evans (abductor) back at practice Wednesday

Evans did not practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but was in uniform and warming up during the open portion of Friday’s practice. When asked whether Evans was limited or full, he declined to say. If Evans was full, we have almost no concerns about his ability to play this week, though he likely would have been removed from the injury report if that were the case. Evans must be treated as truly questionable to play, so make a backup plan, but he is the type of player who does not necessarily need to practice fully before practicing. If active, he is a WR2.

Evans, 33, can still play on game day, even with very limited practice reps. Reliable veterans do not need the same practice level as youngsters. We likely just need to see him resume practicing tomorrow. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier this week that Evans will “have to be managed this week,” so the current state of things is somewhat unsurprising. If active, Evans can be viewed as a WR2.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday that Evans would have to be managed this week. Sitting out on Wednesday is hardly surprising and not overly concerning. The 33-year-old wide receiver missed plenty of practice this summer and has looked great thus far. As long as he’s back at it by Friday, we are not concerned.

So it’s just like every other week, then, folks. Evans left Week 2’s game against the 49ers but reportedly could have returned if it were close. Evans, 33, likely will miss practice time this week. It doesn’t sound like there’s a major reason to believe he’ll miss Week 3 with the injury based on how this has gone, but we’ll keep updating his practice status.

Evans left this game late in the second half with a hip injury, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Evans would have come back into the game if it had been closer. The veteran didn’t have many chances in this one, but he ran a route on 18 of Purdy’s 26 dropbacks, which was the second most on the team. His 27-yard catch was also a nice catch-and-run that saw him go out of bounds on the one-yard line, just before crossing the pylon. He should be good to go against the Cardinals in Week 3.

Stribling suffered a deltoid sprain in his ankle. He is not expected to undergo surgery at this time, though Rapoport notes it is still a possibility. The fact that Rapoport noted that Stribling is “still seeking opinions” suggests surgery is very much on the table. With the rookie sidelined, Demarcus Robinson will slide into the three-receiver rotation. He scored a long touchdown versus the Rams in Week 1, though he profiles as a boom/bust WR6 going forward. Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel will see the majority of targets in most weeks.

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.

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’ Week 1 status is starting to look iffy after missing most of the past few weeks with various injuries. Entering his age-33 season, Evans will need to log at least a couple practices next week if he’s going to suit up against the Rams in the season opener. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said Evans is “ahead of schedule doing good. But we know with Mike and where he is at in his career, we’ll definitely have to treat him differently.” An Evans absence would be a marked boost for De’Zhaun Stribling and perhaps Deebo Samuel. Evans will be a name to watch in the coming days.