Mike Evans Injury Update: When Will 49ers WR Return?

The NFL has seen some major injuries to major stars early this season. One of the latest big-name players to be sidelined is 49ers WR Mike Evans, who suffered what was initially described as a “ribs/oblique” injury during Sunday’s 36-30 win over the Cardinals.

Below, we will deliver an Evans injury update, and look at when the WR will potentially return to the San Francisco lineup.

Mike Evans injury update: When will 49ers WR return?
Evans exited the field in the second quarter after a third-down pass from Brock Purdy fell incomplete. The veteran WR was hit in the sternum by Cardinals safety Budda Baker a few plays earlier.

Evans was noticeably gasping for air as he left the field, leading some to believe he may have been dealing with a lung issue.

Evans was examined in the blue medical tent, and then was carted to the locker room.

“We don’t know [the extent of the injury] yet,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after the game. “We couldn’t tell if it was a broken rib. We couldn’t tell if it was an oblique. Something we’ll find out probably more [Monday].”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that Evans is dealing with a rib strain, per source.

A mild rib strain takes around 2-to-4 weeks to recover from. A moderate rib strain can take 4-to-8 weeks, and a severe rib strain can take up to 12 weeks.

“Losing a Hall of Fame wide receiver who is still playing at a Hall of Fame level, that’s tough to replace,” 49ers TE George Kittle said of Evans. “You don’t really get that very often. But … we have a lot of good players on this team. Young guys, they’re all going to play at a high level. That’s my expectation of them.”

If Evans suffered a mild rib strain, we could see him back in mid-October. Here is a look at the 49ers schedule around that time.

Mike Evans fantasy football stock
Evans is still producing at age 33. He had 6 catches for 49 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against the Rams, and he had his second TD grab of the season Sunday before going down with the injury.

Evans’ ADP at FantasyPros this past summer was No. 68 overall.

During his tenure with the Buccaneers, Evans posted an incredible 11 straight seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving. That streak came to an end last season, his final in Tampa Bay, when he was able to play in just 8 games due to injury.

49ers odds
The 49ers are cruising right along as they own a 3-0 record and have been one of the more impressive NFL squads in the early-portion of the season.

Brock Purdy and Co. currently have +1000 Super Bowl odds at Fanatics Sportsbook. Only the Rams (+650) and Bills (+650) have shorter odds.

Interestingly enough, the 49ers are favored to win the NFC West over the Rams despite LA having shorter odds in the Super Bowl market. San Francisco is +110 to win the division, while the Rams are +250.

San Francisco’s current win total projection is 11.5.