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Brock Purdy Maintains MVP-Level Play Despite Ongoing 49ers Receiver Injuries
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- Brock Purdy Maintains MVP-Level Play Despite Ongoing 49ers Receiver Injuries
As NFL Week 9 begins, the San Francisco 49ers have been one of the best teams in football. They are 6-1 and at the top of what was anticipated to be one of the best divisions in the league.
They only recently lost their undefeated record when they shockingly lost to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7. In the past, it has been injuries that have derailed their season, but they have done this even while being short at wide receiver most weeks.
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The team received some more bad news on this front when general manager John Lynch went on KNBR radio Thursday. He said that he does not expect WRs Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel Sr. to suit up on Sunday.
For Evans and Samuel, they will now both have missed consecutive games, with this being the third missed in a row for Samuel. He is sidelined with a right hamstring injury while Evans is sidelined mainly with an achilles problem.
While on the field, they have both been difference-makers. Samuel has posted 284 yards from scrimmage in five games played, while Evans is at 420 receiving yards. They have combined for six touchdowns.
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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (5) Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
For now, the team is at least getting WRs KhaDarel Hodge and Demarcus Robinson back from injury. They were on the team's Week 1 roster, with Robinson playing quite well before he went down.
That at least is some good news for San Francisco quarterback and MVP candidate Brock Purdy. He has been able to carve up even the best defenses all year long without some top targets. He has also remained healthy this year after dealing with turf toe in 2025.
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Purdy has completed 69.2% of his passes while throwing to an average depth of target at eight yards downfield. He has thrown for 1,748 yards on 15 touchdown passes to only four interceptions.
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Related: Garrett Wilson May Not Be a Realistic Trade Target for the 49ers
This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
