The San Francisco 49ers (5-0) have been the most impressive team in the NFL as they prepare for their Week 6 Monday night game against the Washington Commanders.
Perhaps apologies are due to the Minnesota Vikings (5-0) and the Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) as the only other undefeated teams in the NFL. But perhaps not. The Niners have had much more difficult assignments than the Chiefs and they have had a much stronger offense than the Vikings.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan is doing anything but breathing easy at this point. The 49ers have suffered a slew of injuries that have impacted them throughout the season, and there is no let up as they prepare for the Commanders. They have gotten a dynamic performance from the QB-RB-WR trio of Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and Mike Evans to this point in the season, but Evans is battered and bruised in his first season with the 49ers. He is listed as questionable for the Week 6 Monday night game.
Evans has multiple injury issues
He has been battling bruised ribs and now he also has an Achilles issue that kept him out of practice Friday. It would be a major blow if the 49ers did not have him in the lineup against the Commanders. While Shanahan and Purdy have to be prepared for that possibility and have alternatives in mind, Evans will fight to remain in the lineup.
He is in his 13th season in the NFL and his first with the Niners. Evans was one of the best receivers with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 12 years and he regularly played through injuries and showed up on an every-game basis for the first 11 years of his career. He was held to 8 games last year with the Bucs after suffering a broken collarbone that required surgery.
Evans is a warrior and will play vs. Commanders
Evans has been everything the Niners hoped he would be when they signed him as a free agent in the offseason. The former Tampa Bay star smelled a potential Super Bowl opportunity with his new team and he has played like it. Evans leads the 49ers with 24 receptions for 326 yards and 3 TDs.
While he is no longer at the peak of his athletic ability, his know-how on the field makes him one of the most dangerous receivers when it comes to making plays that keep drives alive. He is a huge man at 6-5 and 233 pounds, and he can use that size like a top NBA rebounder. He can wall off defenders and catch passes over defenders when it appears he is covered.
Purdy is still getting used to how strong Evans is when he battles for a ball, and the receiver's numbers are likely to go up in the second half of the season when they have an even better rapport with each other.
So while Evans did not participate in practice, he is coming off a brilliant game in San Francisco's 32-29 triumph over the Seattle Seahawks. He caught 7-113-1, and amazed his teammates with the effort that he put in with his rib injury.
“We all know what he’s been playing through, the immense pain that he has every single play,” said 49ers center Jake Brendel, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. “He still goes out there and does his very best to get a completion for us. It’s fantastic.”
Additional WR injuries impact the Niners passing game
The 49ers are not going to have Deebo Samuel in the lineup for the Commanders because he is expected to miss the game with the hamstring injury. Christian Kirk is close to come back because his practice window has opened after missing the first five games of the season with the calf injury he suffered on the first day of training camp. The likelihood of Kirk being activated and playing a significant role against Washington is slim.
Brandin Cooks will be the Niners' primary deep threat in this game, and if Evans can't play or is severely limited, he will become their No. 1 receiver. Cooks has only played in 2 games this season and his numbers are not significant. He has caught just 3-7-1, but that does not mean he would struggle in this game. Cooks is a 13-year veteran receiver with the tools and the know-how to make a key contribution.
Backups Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins will also be in the lineup, but neither one is a game-changing player at this point.
The other aspect is the presence of tight end George Kittle. He is the Niners second-leading receiver with 21-268-4 and he has the ability to stretch the defense with his surprising speed as well as serve as a great red zone and third-down target.
The belief is that Evans and Kittle will serve as Purdy's main targets Monday night and both should be targeted by fantasy owners.