Player insights

Ranked WR25 in FantasyPros draft rankings with ADP of 32.0 and average rank of 91; projected for 53.8 PPR points with 10.8-point standard deviation; ADP has risen 11 spots, indicating significant market upside recognition.

Source's preferred round-six wide receiver pick; source states 'Our next highest ranked player according to these draft sheets will be Mike Evans. Let's go ahead and let's take him here' and notes this completes the requirement of three wide receivers by round eight in the running back-heavy draft strategy.

Evans will be a starting receiver for the 49ers and is their best option at the position. Shanahan plans to spell him on plays to allow him to go full speed rather than every snap, a load-management approach designed to keep him healthy and productive.

Evans missed nine games last year due to injury and has a history of hamstring issues that interrupted his 11-year streak of 1,000-yard seasons. He currently has a quad injury and has been absent from practice for nearly a week. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged the injury risk, stating "it depends if he stays healthy" and noting that Evans will be spelled on plays to manage workload, though Shanahan indicated Evans "is going to be good to go."

Carlucci selected Evans in Round 4, noting he has been banged up but was encouraged by his participation in post-practice drills. Carlucci highlights Evans' fit with Kyle Shanahan and his elite red-zone equity, viewing him as a player who can win head-to-head matchups with two or three touchdowns in half-PPR scoring. The Shanahan fit and touchdown upside outweigh recent injury concerns.

49ers veteran wide receiver serving as a mentor to rookie De'Zhaun Stribling; Stribling is learning route-running techniques, physicality, corner manipulation, and separation creation from Evans.

Lucrative free-agent signing is on the injured list during 49ers training camp. The source notes Evans is among four wide receivers currently sidelined, alongside Pearsall, De'Zhaun Stribling, and Christian Kirk.

Kyle Shanahan told USA TODAY Sports that the expectation for Mike Evans coming into the season with San Francisco is a 1,000-yard season, matching the standard Evans set before last year's injury-plagued campaign. Shanahan noted the expectation depends on Evans staying healthy, as starting receivers see significant volume. Evans tied Jerry Rice's 49ers record with 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons before the streak was snapped last year when he missed nine games and finished with 30 catches, 368 yards, and three touchdowns in eight games played.

Kyle Shanahan confirmed Mike Evans will be a starting receiver for the 49ers after signing a three-year, $60.4 million free agent deal in the offseason. Shanahan stated "Mike's going to be a starting receiver here" and emphasized the team wants all receivers going at full speed rather than every play, positioning Evans as a key offensive weapon. Evans is expected to fill the 49ers' depth void at wide receiver and serve as a true WR1.

Mike Evans is dealing with a strained left quad entering his 13th season and was not a participant in the 49ers' Aug. 8 training camp practice as a precautionary measure. Head coach Kyle Shanahan stated the team is "being smart" with Evans' return but expressed confidence he will be ready for the regular season, noting "he's going to be good to go." Shanahan emphasized Evans will be a starting receiver for San Francisco and that the quad injury is low-level; the team is managing his workload carefully to ensure he returns at full speed.

Evans, newly acquired by the 49ers, missed time last season with Tampa Bay and is among the team's current injury concerns as the 49ers deal with a roster littered with red flags that insiders believe will not be able to replicate last season's success.

Ranked WR26 in FantasyPros' most accurate expert consensus with ADP of 40 and average draft position of 61; consensus rank of 50.5 with 5.8-round standard deviation.

John Daigle identifies Mike Evans as a strong target in non-PPR formats due to his high touchdown potential and red-zone usage, which remain valuable even when receptions do not count.

Wide receiver Mike Evans is expected to be one of six receivers the 49ers will keep on the roster and figures to dominate two-receiver sets alongside De'Zhaun Stribling.

Expected to dominate two-receiver sets for the 49ers; one of six receivers the team will likely keep on the final roster alongside Stribling, Kirk, Samuel, Robinson, and Jacob Cowing.

Injury concerns already, but put on Earth to score touchdowns, and Kyle Shanahan knows how to scheme them up. Positioned as a top WR target despite health risk.