De'ZhaunStribling

News: 2 days agoStribling (ankle) is expected to miss at least one month after he was diagnosed Sunday with a deltoid sprain of his left ankle, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Spin: Stribling saw plenty of playing time early in his NFL debut during Thursday's 27-7 win over the Rams, drawing no targets but taking the field for 21 of the team's first 26 offensive snaps before going down with an injury. Initial tests ruled out an Achilles injury for Stribling, but the second-round rookie will still require some down time as a result of the ankle sprain. According to Rapoport, Stribling is seeking multiple medical opinions on his injury, and while surgery isn't yet planned, the 49ers haven't dismissed the possibility of the wideout needing an operation. The 49ers will likely hold off on placing Stribling on injured reserve until a decision is made on a treatment plan.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Stribling was selected by the 49ers with the 33rd overall pick in April's draft. Stribling had a productive collegiate run, catching 44-plus passes in four of his five seasons, three of which came with different schools. That production included 52-882-6 and 55-811-6 receiving lines at Oklahoma State and Ole Miss over the past two seasons. Stribling primarily worked as a perimeter receiver and peaked with a 22% target share with OSU in 2024. His overall efficiency is pedestrian, but he has good size and speed (4.36 40-yard dash at the combine) and is a plus blocker. Stribling has plenty competition for Year 1 targets (Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey), so a slow start is possible, but it's likely he'll eventually find his way to a bigger role and fantasy relevance. He's a fine mid-round upside pick.