Once San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans had to leave Monday night’s game against the Washington Commanders at the end of the first half, it was a safe assumption that he wouldn’t play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
General manager John Lynch tried to create a little uncertainty about whether Evans would play or not on Thursday, but it was confirmed on Friday that Evans will not play. Probably the right decision, especially with a bye week coming up in Weekl 8.
Still, Evans being out is going to make it harder for San Francisco to beat Atlanta, a team that may not be look intimidating on paper at 2-4. But Bijan Robinson is a potent threat, and the Falcons as a whole cannot be taken lightly. The Niners are going to have to put points on the board somehow, something they struggled to do in the second half against Washington immediately following Evans' exit.
Running back Christian McCaffrey will likely bear more of the load, but perhaps not in the way many would expect. One might think McCaffrey would get a lot more carries with Evans out, but he may actually be used more as a receiver.
Reporter Vic Tafur of The Athletic shared the following from McCaffrey’s comments to the media on Friday:“Christian McCaffrey was asked if he might line up more at the slot again this week, with all the WR injuries: ‘I don't know. I usually don't get the gameplan until Sunday morning. We'll see.’ And then he couldn't help a small smile as he looked away.”
Christian McCaffrey could fill in for Evans as de facto Wide receiver
Lining McCaffrey up as a slot receiver would be a great way to try to make up for the absence of Evans. He’s a great athlete and is such a dual threat as a running back that he can carry the ball 15 times and also snag five or six passes to bout.
Obviously, the Niners need to continue to be careful with McCaffrey, and head coach Kyle Shanahan has done an excellent job spelling McCaffrey more this season, but Sunday could be a good opportunity to push him a bit with so many offensive weapons out.
San Francisco’s top three wide receivers are probably going to be Brandin Cooks, Christian Kirk, and Jordan Watkins, so tight end George Kittle and McCaffrey may be leaned on pretty heavily.
McCaffrey can impact the game in so many different fashions, so it will be fun if the Niners do indeed utilize him as a slot receiver and get him involved in a variety of ways as they try to remain undefeated this season.
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