Mike Evans, Christian McCaffrey Miss 49ers' First Week 9 Practice

This is concerning, but not too surprising.

Sep 27, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (5) during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Well, this isn't good.

The San Francisco 49ers won't have two of their star players, Mike Evans and Christian McCaffrey, on hand for their first Week 9 practice vs. the Las Vegas Raiders. They were two of four players held out.

Evans has been dealing with an Achilles injury since Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks. He worsened the injury the following week against the Washington Commanders.

The 49ers held him out of Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons after revealing he has Achilles tendinitis. Evans has taken two weeks off, so it's concerning that he's still being hampered. That led a reporter to ask Kyle Shanahan how Evans' recovery is coming along.

"I think we've made a lot of progress," Shanahan said. "I think he's going in the right direction. It's definitely something we've got to be smart with, but we're not going to overly do it. We want to wait until he's healthy, and he's still working his way to get there."

Oct 19, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (5) leaves the field with an injury during the second quarter against the Washington Commanders at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Not a whole lot of insight there, but Achilles tendinitis is pretty straightforward. Evans needs rest and must slowly ramp up as he continues to make progress.

At this time, I doubt Evans will play against the Raiders. In fact, they should already rule him out in their minds. They don't need him to beat them.

You can say the same thing about McCaffrey, who is still hampered by a hamstring injury he suffered against the Falcons. McCaffrey exited the game early in the first half before returning.

I wouldn't be worried about him missing Wednesday's practice. McCaffrey always misses the first practice of the week. This is normal for him.

The only reason the 49ers are listing him with a hamstring is because they have to, even if he's 90% healthy. McCaffrey could miss Thursday's practice as well, and it wouldn't be a concern.

All the 49ers need is for him to practice on Friday before giving him the green light. But if his hamstring isn't right, they should sit him.

They can beat the Raiders without Evans and McCaffrey. The Raiders are one of the worst defenses in the league. Brock Purdy should have no problem carving them up.

As for the other two 49ers who missed practice: Deebo Samuel (hamstring) and Siran Neal (knee, foot).

---

Follow Jose on X (Twitter) at @JS3sanchezz and on his YouTube channel to interact with him about the 49ers and more.