Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Deebo Samuel Sr.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
11.6 0.0 0.0 3.8 53.6 0.4

Mike Evans News

Mike Evans in Uniform for Tuesday's Practice

Tuesday, August 11, 9:53 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (quadriceps) is in uniform and warming up for Tuesday's joint practice with the Tennessee Titans after missing time recently with a quad injury, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Evans is returning to practice for the first time since suffering a strained quad muscle last Monday. While the veteran wideout might be limited on Tuesday, it's a great sign for the future Hall of Famer going forward. We would not expect Evans to play in the team's preseason opener on Thursday against the Titans. The 32-year-old six-time Pro Bowler has a fantastic track record in the NFL, recording 1,000-yard seasons in each of his first 11 seasons in the league before playing in just eight games due to a broken collarbone in 2025 in his final year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fantasy managers aren't worried about what Evans has done in the past, though, and durability concerns as he nears the tail end of his career will make him a much riskier fantasy WR than he's ever been before. At the very least, Evans should be an excellent red-zone weapon for QB Brock Purdy, but injury concerns have dropped him to No. 26 in RotoBaller's WR rankings entering the 2026 season.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Deebo Samuel Sr. News

Deebo Samuel Sr. Listed as Starter on First Preseason Depth Chart

Tuesday, August 11, 10:11 AM

San Francisco 49ers veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. is listed as a starting WR on the team's first unofficial depth chart of the preseason, according to the Bay Area News Group's Cam Inman. Veteran Mike Evans and Demarcus Robinson are listed as the other starters in three-wide sets alongside Samuel, who is returning to the Bay Area after spending the 2025 campaign with the Washington Commanders, where he caught 72 of his 99 targets for 727 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games played. The Niners brought Samuel back after learning that Ricky Pearsall (knee) would miss the entire season. The 30-year-old veteran is versatile and will have more fantasy upside back in head coach Mike Shanahan's offense, but rookie second-round receiver De'Zhaun Stribling also figures to be heavily involved in San Fran's offense opposite Evans. There's also veteran Christian Kirk, who is in his first year with the team. Samuel's versatility will give Shanahan another weapon to challenge defenses, but fantasy managers should not expect the former second-rounder to suddenly have another 1,000-yard season just because Pearsall is out for the year. RotoBaller has Samuel ranked at No. 56 at the WR position in fantasy.


Mike Evans vs. Deebo Samuel Sr.

Still trying to decide between Evans and Samuel Sr.? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Mike Evans is projected to score 11.6 points this week while Deebo Samuel Sr. is projected to score 0.0 points.