RADIO
Is De'Zhaun Stribling out for the season? When is De'Zhaun Stribling coming back? The latest De'Zhaun Stribling injury update and fantasy football outlook heading into Week 6 of 2026.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle) was the first pick of the second round in the 2026 NFL Draft. 49ers general manager John Lynch selected him in a move that was widely considered another one of his reaches.
We haven't been able to see whether he was worth his draft position initially, however, as he injured his ankle in Week 1 before logging a single catch. The rookie won't have a chance to prove his doubters wrong just yet.
San Francisco is a team that's been plagued by an extreme rate of injuries to its key players in the last few years, and Stribling joins WR Ricky Pearsall (knee) as the team's key pass-catching talent missing due to ailments. Will he return this season?
Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!
Is De'Zhaun Stribling Out for the 2026 Season?
Pearsall is out for the year, unfortunately, but Stribling is unlikely to miss the rest of the season. That's the good news, though. The bad news is that he's expected to miss a total of 10 weeks with a deltoid ankle sprain.
As is typical for the 49ers, they allowed one of their players to play through an injury that should have clearly had him sidelined. It wasn't just that, though. Stribling injured his ankle earlier in the game, and instead of being sidelined, he was sent back out, where he quickly aggravated it.
Reports Dezhaun Stribling is in the blue tent after this play.
He appears to be favoring his left leg and was able to limp to the sideline under his own power.
Reports he is questionable to return with ankle injury https://t.co/03M3XqpRmG
— Maddox McCloud, PT, DPT (@MaddoxMcCloudPT) September 11, 2026
This was the first time he injured his ankle. San Francisco's medical staff has come under fire for their ridiculously high rate of injuries, and it appears there is evidence that it's because they don't pull injured players to properly heal up.
We've seen star players in games they clearly shouldn't have played in, and SF is a beat-up squad when they do make deep postseason runs. In one of their Super Bowl appearances, tight end George Kittle had just one catch because he couldn't lift one of his arms above his head.
De'Zhaun Stribling Fantasy Football Outlook
There isn't much to get excited about this season, unfortunately. By the time Stribling returns, it will be either the fantasy football playoffs or one of the few games before they start. And he'll have to work his way back up to full participation in practice.
Knowing the 49ers, they'll rush him back and let him re-injure his ankle. They have a way of playing with fire like that. But even if he returned at full health, he'll have missed so much of the time he could have been using to get acclimated to playing in the NFL and in this offense.
Reports Dezhaun Stribling is in the blue tent after this play.
He appears to be favoring his left leg and was able to limp to the sideline under his own power.
Reports he is questionable to return with ankle injury https://t.co/03M3XqpRmG
— Maddox McCloud, PT, DPT (@MaddoxMcCloudPT) September 11, 2026
Perhaps he could have a few solid games upon his return, especially if one of the team's other pass-catchers misses time late in the season. But he's mostly a dynasty upside stash. Being in an offense run by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is a huge fantasy football boost for a pass-catcher.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Wee
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 6 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like George Kittle, Deebo Samuel Sr., Mike Evans. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 6. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 6 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: George Kittle, Deebo Samuel Sr., Mike Evans. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 6.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 6 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 6 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 6 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 6 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for George Kittle, Deebo Samuel Sr., Mike Evans compared to others:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
