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When is Mike Evans coming back? Will Mike Evans play again this season? Read about Mike Evans' return date and injury updates for 2026.
San Francisco 49ers veteran wide receiver Mike Evans has had an injury-plagued beginning to the 2026 season. Fantasy managers who drafted Evans in round five may be frustrated by his availability, but there is no doubt that when Evans is on the field, he produces.
In the preseason, he dealt with multiple minor injuries. In Week 2, he suffered a hip injury, and in Week 3, he suffered a chest injury and exited the game against the Arizona Cardinals. He returned for Weeks 4 and 5, playing through his chest injury, but in Week 6, he aggravated an ongoing Achilles tendonitis injury.
When will Mike Evans return from his lingering Achilles tendonitis? Will he be a difference-maker for fantasy teams once he returns?
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Mike Evans Injury Update for Fantasy Football
During the 49ers' Week 8 bye week, general manager John Lynch spoke on KNBR radio of the Bay Area and said, "Mike's been working tirelessly" and "He'll continue to do that. He's on a great plan, and I think the idea is you've just got to quiet that thing down" regarding Mike Evans rehabbing his Achilles tendonitis. According to Lynch, it's an issue that Evans has been dealing with throughout his entire career.
Per David Lombardi of the SF Standard, there is a chance that Evans returns in Week 9 after leaving Week 6's matchup early and missing Week 7 due to the aggravation.
Evans has been known to attempt to tough out any discomfort if he can. Evans' resilience was evident when he decided to play in the 49ers' Week 4 matchup against the Denver Broncos after fracturing ribs in their Week 3 game. Lynch pointed out Evans' toughness after their Week 3 game, which could support Evans making his comeback sooner rather than later.
"That's a tough SOB."
John Lynch told @knbrmurph & @JDJohnDickinson that Mike Evans has a chance to play on Sunday as he works through a rib injury. https://t.co/6sxUrZklIN
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 1, 2026
It appears that he will be making his return within the next couple of weeks, but fantasy managers should continue to monitor Mike Evans' availability for Week 9.
Mike Evans Fantasy Football Outlook
Mike Evans had a streak of 11 years with at least 1,000 receiving yards a year, coming in at the second most only to legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice. In 2025, Evans only played in 8 games, which consequently snapped his streak. Evans is now 33 years old, with his best years behind him, but has proven that he is able to produce fantasy points.
Despite Evans' inconsistent on-field availability this year, he is still a consistent fantasy asset with upside when he is on the field. In five out of the six games Evans has played in 2026, which includes two games he didn't finish, he has surpassed 10 half-PPR fantasy points.
In the 49ers Week 5 matchup versus the Seattle Seahawks, Evans showcased his ability to put up strong fantasy numbers, catching seven of his 10 targets for 113 receiving yards and one touchdown while playing through fractured ribs.
Evans again! 49ers take the lead
@SFvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/3d3kyu2bzU— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Evans is no doubt still an important part of this 49ers team, and a go-to target for QB Brock Purdy; Evans ranks number four in the league in targets per route run (min. 100 routes) at 0.32 targets/route run, behind only Puka Nacua, CeeDee Lamb, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Evans remains a great receiver at the catch point and a threat in the red zone, accumulating 420 receiving yards and three touchdowns so far this season.
The San Francisco 49ers have a sparse room of pass-catchers, with tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel being at the forefront, so when Mike Evans is available, he will be utilized. Evans fantasy numbers this year are encouraging, seeing that he has yet to see a snap rate over 63% since Week 1.
Once Evans is healthy and active, he will be a plug-and-play WR2 with upside to push into the top 12 every week.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel Sr. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 9.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 9 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 9 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 9 for Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel Sr.:
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