San Francisco

49ers

The 49ers were optimistic about Bosa’s availability for Week 7 against the Falcons, but he is firmly on the wrong side of questionable. The 49ers go on bye in Week 8. Allowing him to fully heal and return in Week 9 for their game against the Raiders could make sense.

NBC Sports’ Jennifer Lee Chan reported earlier this week that Evans is expected to “miss a little time,” making his two absences unsurprising. Evans has not been formally ruled out, and he is no stranger to playing through injury, but fantasy managers should expect him to miss the 49ers’ Week 7 game against the Falcons.

Kirk is on track to make his 2026 debut this week in the 49ers’ game against the Falcons. As strange as it sounds, Kirk has a chance to vault into the 49ers’ No. 1 wide receiver role with Mike Evans (ribs/Achilles) and Deebo Samuel (hamstring) expected to sit out this week. Kirk should be rostered in 12-team formats.

Kirk was limited all of last week but starts out this week listed as a full participant for the 49ers’ Wednesday walkthrough practice. He remains on injured reserve, but head coach Kyle Shanahan said Kirk is a “possibility” for Week 7. A full practice listing is a good start and Kirk could see WR3 volume immediately with Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel dealing with injuries.

Evans is already expected to miss “a little time” because of his Achilles tendinitis, so this isn’t a surprise. It’s safe to assume he’s out for at least Week 7, but the good news is that it’s not expected to be a long-term issue. Evans could be back as soon as Week 9 following the 49ers’ bye week. With Deebo Samuel all but ruled out for this week’s matchup with Atlanta, Brandin Cooks and Jordan Watkins are set for starting roles on Sunday.

Kyle Shanahan told reporters he’s hopeful Bosa returns to practice tomorrow. The oft-injured pass-rusher hasn’t played since Week 2. Even if he does practice on Thursday, there’s no guarantee that will get him back on the field for Sunday’s game against the Falcons.

Neither did Mike Evans, who is dealing with Achilles tendinitis. These absences shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Evans is expected to miss Week 7 after aggravating his Achilles issue on Monday. Samuel is expected to miss “at least a couple of weeks” and has been sidelined for just one game so far. Jordan Watkins and Brandin Cooks are in line to start for the 49ers this week. What a time to be alive.

Kirk has been on injured reserve with a calf injury but could return to the Niners’ injury-ravaged receivers room this Sunday against the pass-funnel Falcons defense. “He had two good practices (last week). It was just his first two practices of the year,” Shanahan said of Kirk, who last year had 239 yards and a touchdown in 13 regular season games for the Texans. “We were down on wideouts, so it was still something we discussed, but we decided to give it another week.” If Kirk returns and plays something close to a full complement of snaps against Atlanta, he could function as the team’s No. 1 receiver with Mike Evans (Achilles) seemingly unlikely to suit up. Kirk should be rostered in most 12-team leagues and all deeper formats.

Watkins drew the start in place of the injured Deebo Samuel but was unable to take advantage of the opportunity, with 23 of Brock Purdy’s 29 targets going to the team’s top three options in Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, and George Kittle. Evans departed at the end of the second quarter with an aggravation of his Achilles injury, something that appears likely to cost the veteran a Week 7 game against the Falcons. That could leave Watkins in line for a second consecutive start, although the upside remains modest. Fantasy managers are likely best leaving both Watkins and veteran Brandin Cooks on the waiver wire, the latter of whom caught 1-of-2 targets for 13 yards against the Commanders.

Kittle got the scoring started with an 11-yard touchdown on a dime from Brock Purdy to the corner of the end zone, contributing to the offense steadily through a dominant first half before pushing his yardage totals with a 35-yard reception to start the third quarter. It was a tale of two halves for the San Francisco offense, which managed a staggering 303 yards of total offense in the first half and only 72 yards of total offense after the break, likely heavily influenced by the departure of Mike Evans at the end of the second quarter. Evans is expected to miss the team’s Week 7 contest against the Falcons, where Kittle could step into additional volume in his already-solid TE1 profile.