The San Francisco 49ers hoped the Week 8 bye would be enough to get Mike Evans back on the field, but it looks like the veteran receiver will miss at least one more week.

General manager John Lynch said on KNBR Thursday that Evans likely won’t play Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Evans didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday, so Brock Purdy will again be without the receiver the front office signed to be the centerpiece of the passing game.

Evans’ first season in San Francisco has been a constant fight to stay healthy. He was carted off with a rib injury against Arizona in late September, then developed Achilles tendinitis that never fully went away.

He tried to play through both injuries on Monday Night Football against Washington and still led the team in receiving yards before leaving just before halftime.

He then sat out the Week 7 win in Atlanta. Kyle Shanahan said Evans has made a lot of progress and is moving in the right direction, but he also made clear the team won’t push him back before he’s healthy.

Lynch put it the same way, saying the goal is to fully settle the tendon so that when Evans returns, he can stay on the field.

The 49ers signed Evans to a three-year deal this offseason for one reason: no one else on the roster could give them what he does.

At 6-foot-5, he wins contested catches on the outside, beats defenders on fade routes near the goal line, and gives Purdy a receiver he can trust on third down even when he’s covered.

When healthy, Evans has looked like the same player who put together more than a decade of 1,000-yard seasons in Tampa Bay.

That included a seven-catch, 113-yard game with a touchdown against the defending champion Seahawks, which showed how much he can stretch a defense and open up space for everyone else.

Without Evans, and with Deebo Samuel also expected to miss another game with his hamstring injury, Shanahan will have to spread the targets around. George Kittle should be the focus of the passing game, and Christian McCaffrey could take on a big role if he’s cleared after returning to practice on a limited basis Thursday.

The outside receiver spots will be handled by Brandin Cooks, Jacob Cowing, and Jordan Watkins, along with KhaDarel Hodge and Demarcus Robinson, who Lynch said are expected to play.

The likely game plan is heavier personnel, quick timing throws, and play-action designed to get receivers open without asking them to win one-on-one matchups the way Evans does.

San Francisco is still a heavy favorite, but this game will show how much the offense depends on its biggest free agent signing, and how important it is for the 49ers to get him back before the stretch run.