Mike Evans' Rib Injury Turns Sunday Night Into a Game-Time Guessing Game

Kyle Shanahan just deployed the three most terrifying words in the English language for anyone holding a fantasy roster or a betting slip: game-time decision.

According to Adam Schefter, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans is officially questionable for Sunday after dealing with a rib injury.

"Kyle Shanahan said WR Mike Evans, who is dealing with a rib injury, will be a game-time decision."

Rib injuries for wide receivers are a special kind of brutal. You need your ribs to breathe, to extend for a pass, and to absorb the inevitable hit from a safety who has been waiting all week to separate you from the football.

The 49ers are scheduled to host the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. That late kickoff makes this injury update infinitely more annoying for anyone trying to lock in their weekend plans.

If Evans sits, San Francisco loses one of the most reliable red-zone targets in the history of the sport. If he plays, you have to wonder how effective he can actually be while wearing a flak jacket and wincing through every route.

This is the classic NFL information game. Shanahan gets to keep Denver guessing about the game plan, while the rest of us are left trying to read the tea leaves of a pregame warmup jog.

Keep a close eye on the inactive list dropping 90 minutes before kickoff. Until then, maybe have a backup plan ready, because trusting a receiver with bad ribs is a great way to ruin your Sunday night.