Mike Evans (quad) not practicing on Monday

In his projected depth chart, Barrows lists Stribling as both the starting slot receiver and the No. 2 X-receiver. He does not place Stribling on the Z-receiver depth chart, which could mean the rookie wide receiver has not yet earned a role in two-wide receiver sets. Veteran WR Deebo Samuel is the starting Z-receiver, though Barrows already reported that Samuel will take only “a portion” of the overall Z-receiver snaps. It would be surprising to see Nos. 2-3 Z-receivers, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing, play ahead of Stribling when Samuel needs a breather, but the season is long and Stribling can always change Barrows’ mind. Early in the year, Stribling is likely best treated as a WR4/FLEX candidate. Were Evans to miss time, Stribling would seemingly slide into a full-time starting role.

Evans missed the bulk of training camp with quad, groin, and abductor injuries. The team took a cautious approach to his practice regimen during the offseason, and it seems to have paid off with him back on the field today. Evans’ status on the 49ers’ practice report next week will be one of the bigger storylines for the 49ers, but all signs point to him being healthy for Week 1. Fantasy managers can keep drafting him as a low-end WR2 for the final week of the summer.

Evans’ Week 1 status is starting to look iffy after missing most of the past few weeks with various injuries. Entering his age-33 season, Evans will need to log at least a couple practices next week if he’s going to suit up against the Rams in the season opener. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said Evans is “ahead of schedule doing good. But we know with Mike and where he is at in his career, we’ll definitely have to treat him differently.” An Evans absence would be a marked boost for De’Zhaun Stribling and perhaps Deebo Samuel. Evans will be a name to watch in the coming days.

Black had a nice run to the right side of the field before subbing out, which ultimately required him to spin over the top of the camera stand positioned awkwardly on the sideline. He seemingly escaped without injury and, most importantly, took 12-of-12 possible snaps on the first three drives. Black is the 49ers’ running back to stash on fantasy benches. Fellow RB Jordan James has recovered from the fractured rib he suffered late in July, but the time he missed in August has him behind Black on the depth chart.

Evans has been dealing with a myriad of injuries throughout training camp, the latest being a groin issue. The injuries have been reported as minor as the 33-year-old manages his way through practices after having missed significant time due to injuries the last couple seasons. He was already expected to miss minimal time - if any - and Fowler confirms that Evans and the 49ers are still preparing for him to play Week 1.

Kyle Shanahan indicated Evans should be back to practice next week before leaving for Australia. The line between “Evans is being treated very carefully” and “Evans is always hurt” has been blurred for a few years now, but it doesn’t seem like he’s in any danger of missing time yet.

It would be really nice to see Evans consistently practice in full at this point, but both Inman and ESPN’s Nick Wagoner appear mostly unconcerned by today’s development. Per Wagoner, Evans stopped practicing after running a deep route on Sunday. Evans “seemed to be moving fine” after exiting. Wagoner adds that it is “clear he and the Niners want to be cautious to get him to the regular season ready to go.” Evans’ soft tissue concerns remain present, but as long as he takes the field on game day, he is a WR2 with WR1 upside.

The team labeled Stribling as “day-to-day” yesterday. His limited return is a good sign for his Week 1 availability. Hopefully, the 49ers’ impressive rookie is back in pads before long. He can still be drafted as a FLEX starter with WR3 upside at this time.

Stribling apparently emerged from the team’s preseason Week 2 game with a shoulder issue, with the team listing him as day-to-day Saturday. The timing could not be worse for the rookie receiver after it was speculated that he would have a significant role in the offense as early as Week 1, particularly from 11-personnel. Stribling continues to turn heads in both practice and on the preseason game-day field, with fantasy managers now left to hope that the shoulder issue is something that can be resolved in short order. The team did not provide further clarification of the ailment.

What exactly does this mean? It probably means that Stribling is a clear-cut starter in three-wide receiver sets, but Barrows did not expand on the matter. Barrows recently reported that WR Deebo Samuel will take over “a portion” of the Z-receiver role, while also contributing as a “wide back.” The remaining portion of the Z-receiver role in two-wide receiver sets could end up going to Stribling. He’s certainly made a strong case with his preseason play, but coach Kyle Shanahan is sometimes hesitant to feature rookies right away. Regardless, Stribling can be viewed as a FLEX starter with easy WR3 upside in the season opener.