De’Zhaun Stribling goes 7/62 on Thursday night

Stribling was carted from the game late in the second quarter after briefly attempting to play through the ankle injury he suffered earlier in the game. While there was some concern that his injury was Achilles-related, Shanahan’s comments after the game suggest there’s little reason to be concerned about his Achilles at this time. Stribling played 21 snaps in the first half of Thursday’s game but was held without a catch. We’ll likely get more clarity on his status in the coming days, but hopefully the worst was avoided here.

Stribling was carted off during Friday’s contest, and finished without a catch in his NFL debut. He’ll get a little longer to potentially return for Week 2 against the Dolphins, but obviously his status for that contest is very much in doubt.

Stribling hurt the ankle earlier in the contest, and while he was able to return shortly after, the rookie wideout was unable to continue and exited on the vehicle. It’s likely he won’t return to Friday’s game, but there should be an update on his status soon.

In his projected depth chart, Barrows lists Stribling as both the starting slot receiver and the No. 2 X-receiver. He does not place Stribling on the Z-receiver depth chart, which could mean the rookie wide receiver has not yet earned a role in two-wide receiver sets. Veteran WR Deebo Samuel is the starting Z-receiver, though Barrows already reported that Samuel will take only “a portion” of the overall Z-receiver snaps. It would be surprising to see Nos. 2-3 Z-receivers, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing, play ahead of Stribling when Samuel needs a breather, but the season is long and Stribling can always change Barrows’ mind. Early in the year, Stribling is likely best treated as a WR4/FLEX candidate. Were Evans to miss time, Stribling would seemingly slide into a full-time starting role.

Evans’ Week 1 status is starting to look iffy after missing most of the past few weeks with various injuries. Entering his age-33 season, Evans will need to log at least a couple practices next week if he’s going to suit up against the Rams in the season opener. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said Evans is “ahead of schedule doing good. But we know with Mike and where he is at in his career, we’ll definitely have to treat him differently.” An Evans absence would be a marked boost for De’Zhaun Stribling and perhaps Deebo Samuel. Evans will be a name to watch in the coming days.

The team labeled Stribling as “day-to-day” yesterday. His limited return is a good sign for his Week 1 availability. Hopefully, the 49ers’ impressive rookie is back in pads before long. He can still be drafted as a FLEX starter with WR3 upside at this time.

Stribling apparently emerged from the team’s preseason Week 2 game with a shoulder issue, with the team listing him as day-to-day Saturday. The timing could not be worse for the rookie receiver after it was speculated that he would have a significant role in the offense as early as Week 1, particularly from 11-personnel. Stribling continues to turn heads in both practice and on the preseason game-day field, with fantasy managers now left to hope that the shoulder issue is something that can be resolved in short order. The team did not provide further clarification of the ailment.

What exactly does this mean? It probably means that Stribling is a clear-cut starter in three-wide receiver sets, but Barrows did not expand on the matter. Barrows recently reported that WR Deebo Samuel will take over “a portion” of the Z-receiver role, while also contributing as a “wide back.” The remaining portion of the Z-receiver role in two-wide receiver sets could end up going to Stribling. He’s certainly made a strong case with his preseason play, but coach Kyle Shanahan is sometimes hesitant to feature rookies right away. Regardless, Stribling can be viewed as a FLEX starter with easy WR3 upside in the season opener.

Stribling starred on the 49ers’ first two drives. He caught three passes on the first drive, nabbing an eight-yard gain on a curl route, high-pointing a pass beyond the sticks and making a kneeling catch for a first down via a slant route from the perimeter. 49ers backup QB Mac Jones beautifully threaded the needle to him on a post route downfield, sneaking the ball right past two defenders. Stribling nearly hauled in a 30-plus-yard pass down the left sideline, just a few yards from the end zone, but he couldn’t complete the catch. The result of that play might keep his ADP from inflating too much. The rookie wide receiver might warrant WR3 treatment right out of the gate.

Rapoport adds that Stribling’s “ability to catch basically everything has impressed.” The second-round rookie has soared since draft season. Once discussed as some film analysts’ preferred Day 1/2 options, Stribling now projects as a potentially reliable starter in the 49ers’ banged-up pass-catching corps.