Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Brian Thomas Jr.

Friday, November 13, 12:49 PM

San Francisco 49ers veteran wide receiver Mike Evans (Achilles) has officially been ruled out for the Week 10 contest on Sunday on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, according to Matt Lively of CBS Sports. Evans will miss a third straight game due to a right-Achilles injury that he picked up in the Week 6 win over the Washington Commanders. The good news for the 49ers and fantasy managers is that head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week that the 33-year-old future Hall of Famer is "real close" to returning and likely would have played this week if it were a playoff contest. The 49ers will also be getting veteran Deebo Samuel Sr. (hamstring) back for the first time since Week 5, and they added Keenan Allen in a trade from the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday, so there is less urgency to rush Evans back before he is fully healed. The six-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will certainly have more competition for targets in the team's passing game when he returns, possibly in Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings, but he should still be heavily targeted as one of quarterback Brock Purdy's favorite weapons. Evans has more injury risk than ever as he nears the end of his career, but he has been solid when active in his first year in the Bay Area, catching 27 of 39 targets for 420 yards and three touchdowns.