San Francisco Loses Rookie Wideout De'Zhaun Stribling To Ankle Injury

Injury Blow for Rookie

The San Francisco 49ers will have to play without rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling for at least the next month. The young wideout suffered a left ankle injury during the team's season opening victory against the Los Angeles Rams.

Stribling went down with a non contact injury in the second quarter of the game on Thursday night. The opening matchup took place in Australia. He did not return to the contest after going down, but San Francisco still managed to secure a 27-7 victory over their opponents.

The injury has been described as a deltoid ligament sprain in his left ankle. There is a possibility that Stribling might ultimately need to undergo surgery to address the issue. However, his exact recovery plan was still uncertain as of Sunday morning.

Avoiding the Worst

There is some positive news for the team regarding the injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated after the game that Stribling avoided an Achilles tear. Even so, Shanahan said the team still needed to conduct further tests to determine a specific diagnosis for the rookie.

The injury is a tough setback for a young player who had built up significant momentum with the franchise. San Francisco selected the former Ole Miss star with the first pick of the second round, making him the number 33 overall selection in this year's draft.

Stribling had a strong training camp with the team. His impressive performance over the summer earned him a big role in the offense entering the regular season. Now, the 49ers will have to find a way to replace his production on the field.

What it means for the next game

Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers (NFL, Sun, 20 Sep): San Francisco 49ers win 84%, Miami Dolphins win 16%; projected score San Francisco 49ers 27, Miami Dolphins 18. Our safest pick: 49ers to win. Our best value pick: Under 46.5 points.