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When is Mike Evans coming back? Will Mike Evans play again this season? Read about Mike Evans's return date and injury updates for 2026.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans joined the Niners after 12 outstanding seasons in Tampa Bay. He produced over 1,000 receiving yards in 11 straight seasons before falling short last year while only playing eight games due to injury. The 49ers hoped he could bounce back with a healthy season in San Francisco, but that has not been the case.
Evans showed some good upside when healthy early in the year, but he has missed the last two games for the team, even though there was a bye week in between.
When is Evans coming back? Will he miss most of the season? Let's dive in!
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Mike Evans Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Evans was playing through fractured and strained ribs since a Week 3 matchup with the Cardinals, and he started dealing with Achilles soreness in preparation for Week 6's matchup with the Commanders as well. He played against Washington but left the game early with what coach Kyle Shanahan called "right Achilles tendinitis."
He did not practice before the team's Week 7 game with the Falcons and was ruled out. The team had a Week 8 bye, but even after that, he was not able to return to practice, forcing him to miss Week 9's matchup with the Raiders as well.
As the 49ers prepare for a Week 10 matchup with the Cowboys, Evans is still not on track to return:
The 49ers expect WR Deebo Samuel and DT CJ West to be back at practice on Wednesday, coach Kyle Shanahan said. They are not expecting WR Mike Evans to be ready this week.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) November 9, 2026
Evans still has a few days to get back to the field in time to play against Dallas, but things are trending in the wrong direction, and Achilles tendinitis can be an injury that takes a while to fully recover from and then ramp back up to full speed.
He hasn't been ruled out for any specific length of time, but it looks unlikely that he'll be ready for Week 10, and possibly even longer.
Mike Evans Fantasy Football Outlook
When he was healthy, Evans served as the 49ers' top receiver, catching 27 of his 39 targets for 420 yards and three touchdowns. He remained a great option in the red zone, as he has been throughout his career, and he quickly developed good chemistry with Brock Purdy in the 49ers' productive offense.
If he is able to return and get back to near 100%, he is a regular weekly starter in standard-sized leagues, and at this point, he's worth holding if possible.
While he has been out, Jordan Watkins has stepped into a much bigger role and had a breakout game in Week 9 against the Raiders. Even if Samuel returns this week, Evans' absence would be enough to make Watkins a great value play. He's one of the top waiver wire options for Week 10's soft matchup with the Cowboys, and he could remain viable for as long as Evans is out. If you have Evans, Watkins is a solid handcuff replacement until Evans is ready to return.
Jordan Watkins Takes Advantage of Expanded Role https://t.co/c8l3t4WXmL
— RotoBaller (@RotoBaller) November 9, 2026
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 10 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel Sr., Jordan Watkins, Brandin Cooks, George Kittle. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 10.
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 10 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 10 (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 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 10 for Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel Sr., Jordan Watkins, Brandin Cooks, George Kittle:
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