Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Jaxon Smith-Njigba

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.