De'ZhaunStribling

News: 6 days agoStribling brought in seven of eight targets for 63 yards in the 49ers' 19-13 preseason loss to the Titans on Thursday.

Spin: The 2026 second-round pick led the 49ers in receptions and receiving yards while checking in second in targets to Jordan Watkins. Stribling finished his college career with back-to-back 800-yard seasons, and Ricky Pearsall's season-ending knee injury opens up plenty of opportunity for the rookie to make a significant first-year impact. Stribling is also currently benefiting from Christian Kirk's lingering calf injury, and the former's performance in his NFL debut certainly helps buttress his case for consistent opportunity right from the onset of his first season.

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 playing time (Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Christian Kirk), 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 late-round flier.