Kirk is in line for his 49ers debut, and Evans and Samuel are both out
Nick Bosa is out too, and so are two more linebackers, the week rookie Jaden Dugger and Fred Warner have to tackle Bijan Robinson.
Christian Kirk is in line to play his first game as a 49er on Sunday at Atlanta. The club activated him off injured reserve on Saturday and removed his questionable tag, 90 days after he strained a calf on the first day of training camp. He arrives the week Mike Evans (ribs, Achilles) and Deebo Samuel (hamstring) are both ruled out.
The logistics. Kickoff is 10 a.m. Pacific at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, on FOX, with KSAN 107.7 FM and KNBR 104.5 FM / 680 AM on radio. San Francisco is 6-0. Atlanta is 2-4, 0-3 at home, and has lost its last two, 30-23 in overtime to Baltimore and 31-23 to Chicago. The 49ers' bye is next week.
Who is out. Kyle Shanahan read the list after Friday's practice: Samuel, Garret Wallow, Nick Bosa, Marques Sigle, Evans and Luke Gifford out; Siran Neal, Upton Stout and Kirk questionable. Kirk's tag came off with the activation. The club's final report carries 14 names: six out, three questionable, five with no designation. Dre Greenlaw is still on the reserve/suspended list. The active table now holds 54, six of them ruled out, which is exactly the 48 a team may dress if Neal and Stout play. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reported Saturday that both are expected to. Inactive lists post at 8:30 a.m. Pacific.
Shanahan on Bosa, who had said he would play this week: "I just think he was a little too optimistic." Bosa worked out, Shanahan said, and was sore the next day, "which surprised all of us," and the game is on turf.
Ten to watch#
Jaden Dugger, linebacker, rookie. He played 64 of 67 defensive snaps against Washington. Wallow and Gifford are both out, and Jalen Graham is elevated from the practice squad for the second straight week. Dugger has 28 tackles and a sack this season.
Gracen Halton, defensive lineman, rookie. Five tackles for loss and two sacks, plus a fumble return for a touchdown. He played 24 snaps against Washington. With Bosa out, the rotation needs more of them.
Mykel Williams, defensive lineman, second year. Off the injury report after practicing in full Friday with a knee. He played 30 snaps in Week 6 and has one sack this season.
Upton Stout, cornerback, second year. Questionable with a shoulder; he did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and was limited Friday. Atlanta's Drake London has 31 catches for 550 yards.
Jordan Watkins, wide receiver, second year. Three catches all season, for 82 yards. He is one of four wide receivers on the active list, with Kirk, Brandin Cooks and Jacob Cowing.
Christian Kirk, wide receiver. 432 career catches across eight seasons with Arizona, Jacksonville and Houston, and none yet for San Francisco. He practiced in full all three days.
Jacob Cowing, wide receiver and returner. Seven punt returns for 27 yards. "I know Jake's had some mistakes," Shanahan said Friday. "He's got to be better at it, but I also have confidence he will get better at it too."
Keion White, defensive lineman. The team leader with three and a half sacks. He played 50 of 67 snaps against Washington, tied with Osa Odighizuwa for the most on the line.
George Kittle, tight end. 26 catches on 36 targets for 337 yards and five touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey has 28 catches on 35 targets, and 350 rushing yards with seven touchdowns.
Fred Warner, linebacker. 58 tackles, the team lead, and the assignment is Bijan Robinson: 641 rushing yards on 111 carries. Atlanta ruled out its other running back, Brian Robinson Jr., with a hamstring.
Atlanta#
The Falcons ruled out four: Robinson Jr., linebacker Divine Deablo, slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. and tackle Michael Jerrell, who went to injured reserve Saturday. Corner A.J. Terrell was activated off injured reserve after four games with a groin injury and is expected to play. Sunday is Raheem Morris's first game in Atlanta since the Falcons fired him after two seasons as head coach, 16-18 in all. Shanahan credited Morris, now his defensive coordinator, for a top-five defense that lost six defensive linemen in the first two weeks. Had he known about the injuries in advance, Shanahan said, he "would have been a little surprised" by the ranking.
Shanahan, on a 2-4 opponent: "I know the record doesn't show it, but they're a team that should be there in the end."
Sources: 49ers.com schedule, injury report, roster page and Oct. 24 roster-move release; Kyle Shanahan's Oct. 23 transcript, via 49ers Webzone; Matt Maiocco, NBC Sports Bay Area, Oct. 24; atlantafalcons.com injury and roster-move stories, Oct. 23 and Oct. 24; ESPN box scores and team schedule; official game book, Week 6; Raheem Morris's 49ers.com biography; NFL.com and the Associated Press on his hiring, February 2026.
