No team has been ravaged by injury more than the San Francisco 49ers. One of the first names to go down for San Francisco this season was rookie WR De’Zhaun Stribling.
Stribling sprained the deltoid ligament in his left ankle back in Week 1 against the LA Rams in Australia.
Below, we will provide a Stribling injury update, and look at when he will return to the 49ers’ lineup.
De’Zhaun Stribling fantasy football injury update: When will WR return?
Stribling reportedly injured his ankle late in the first quarter of the 49ers’ 27-7 Week 1 win over the Rams. He went to the blue medical tent and San Francisco determined that his Achilles was still intact. They also ruled out the injury being a high ankle sprain.
Stribling re-entered the game in the second quarter, but he went down again after cutting to his left on a route.
“We were testing him,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “His Achilles [was] intact. We’ve seen it’s not a high ankle sprain. He’s running. We’re going to let him go back in. And then he goes back in and does a turn that you don’t replicate on the sideline, and then you find out it’s worse than that.”
Stribling wound up having surgery on the ankle and was projected to miss 10 weeks. It has been 5 weeks and 1 day since the injury, so Stribling is more or less halfway through his recovery.
Exactly 10 weeks from the time of Stribling’s injury would be Thursday, November 19. The 49ers’ first game after that date is a Week 11 home game against the Vikings.
Stribling will likely need a ramp-up period before his return, however, so a comeback in the Niners’ Week 12 home game against the Seahawks is more likely.
Here is a look at San Francisco’s schedule around the time that Stribling is likey to return.
- Week 11 Sunday, November 22: Vikings at 49ers
- Week 12 Sunday, November 29: Seahawks at 49ers
- Week 13 Sunday, December 6: 49ers at Giants
- Week 14 Sunday, December 13: Rams at 49ers
De’Zhaun Stribling fantasy football stock
Stribling had an ADP of 176 in fantasy football leagues this summer and was WR 56 at FantasyPros. He is currently rostered in 28% of Yahoo fantasy leagues.
Stribling was a second round pick of the 49ers in the 2026 NFL Draft. He was unfortunately injured so early in the Week 1 game against the Rams that he has yet to see even a target in the NFL.
Stribling was a monster at Ole Miss last season as he had 55 catches for 811 yards and 6 TDs.
49ers odds
The 49ers opened the season at Fanatics Sportsbook with +1600 odds to win the Super Bowl. The Rams, Bills, Seahawks, and Ravens appeared ahead of them on the odds board.
Today, thanks to a 5-0 record, Shanahan’s squad sits alone as the favorite to win it all with a +650 price. The Bills and Rams are right behind the Niners as both are +700.
San Francisco’s win total is now set at 12.5, with juice on the Over.
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