Stribling (ankle) has surgery, to miss 10 weeks

Stribling will be sidelined for at least four weeks after suffering a serious ankle injury in Week 1’s win over the Rams. It’s a disappointing start for the rookie, who can safely be dropped in most fantasy leagues. Deebo Samuel, who led the Niners in slot routes last week, could see an uptick in playing time and targets over the next month. Samuel had 48 yards on six receptions against the Rams. He should be rostered in 12-team PPR formats ahead of the Niners’ Week 2 game against the Dolphins.

He expects Deebo Samuel’s snap count to rise as well, but says “perhaps Robinson’s will rise more.” Barrows also notes that Robinson seems to have a good rapport with Brock Purdy, and that Robinson’s late-game stretch with a Purdy that was “back and feeling like himself late in the season” was likely no coincidence. Robinson is definitely a FLEX possibility this week in deeper leagues or if you’ve missed your desired boat on the waiver wire.

Stribling suffered a deltoid sprain in his ankle. He is not expected to undergo surgery at this time, though Rapoport notes it is still a possibility. The fact that Rapoport noted that Stribling is “still seeking opinions” suggests surgery is very much on the table. With the rookie sidelined, Demarcus Robinson will slide into the three-receiver rotation. He scored a long touchdown versus the Rams in Week 1, though he profiles as a boom/bust WR6 going forward. Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel will see the majority of targets in most weeks.

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.

Robinson snagged one of three touchdown passes from Brock Purdy, with his being the longest connection on a 39-yard strike. The 31-year-old had just one other catch, and while he’s still capable of making a deep play or two, it’s hard to trust him as a fantasy option. He’ll have a chance to prove the doubters wrong again in Week 2 against the Dolphins.

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.