De’Zhaun Stribling enters the 2026 season with a clear path to targets following extensive roster turnover and injuries in the 49ers’ offense. While he is not a plug-and-play fantasy starter for Week 1, his impressive preseason performance makes him a high-upside depth piece with midseason breakout potential as a rookie.
Should I Draft De’Zhaun Stribling in Fantasy Football?
Stribling turned heads during the summer, catching 11 of his 13 targets for 109 yards through the first two weeks of the preseason after generating plenty of buzz at camp. That strong summer performance has been a sight for sore eyes in San Francisco, a team battling the injury bug before a single live bullet is fired.
Ricky Pearsall (PCL) is out for the season, creating a vacancy in the receiving rotation from the jump. Meanwhile, veteran Mike Evans has his best football behind him, and Deebo Samuel enters the year after the NFL essentially told us that his time as a viable asset is nearly over after no team showed interest until August.
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Christian Kirk is coming off an inefficient season and has struggled to remain on the field, though I’m not sold he was destined to be a real piece of this offense anyway. While George Kittle continues to make great strides, his playing style and age is a tough combination to feel great about over the four-plus month grid that is the NFL regular season.
This leaves the offense in a last-man-standing situation. Christian McCaffrey and Kittle will certainly absorb a significant share of the targets, but they can’t carry the entire passing attack on their own. When the front office drafted Stribling, the move was widely viewed by most as a reach. That selection proved the organization was significantly higher on his prospect profile than the general scouting public, and his summer has only reinforced those internal beliefs.
Playing in a Kyle Shanahan system led by Brock Purdy provides Stribling with upside in the efficiency department, as that tandem ranks among the most consistent in football.
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For me, he represents a smart process buy in drafts. You should not rely on him as a weekly fantasy starter right away, but once your starting lineup is filled, he serves as a viable depth target who could realistically transition into a weekly lineup staple by the middle of the season.
The price is on the rise, so be careful, but there seems to be some fire at the bottom of this preseason smoke.
Kyle Soppe’s WR Fantasy Rankings 2026
- Ja’Marr Chase | CIN
- Puka Nacua | LAR
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA
- Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET
- Justin Jefferson | MIN
- CeeDee Lamb | DAL
- Drake London | ATL
- Nico Collins | HOU
- A.J. Brown | NE
- Malik Nabers | NYG
- George Pickens | DAL
- Rashee Rice | KC
- Zay Flowers | BAL
- Chris Olave | NO
- Jaylen Waddle | DEN
- Ladd McConkey | LAC
- DeVonta Smith | PHI
- Tee Higgins | CIN
- Emeka Egbuka | TB
- Terry McLaurin | WAS
- Tetairoa McMillan | CAR
- Garrett Wilson | NYJ
- Luther Burden III | CHI
- Parker Washington | JAX
- Christian Watson | GB
- Jameson Williams | DET
- Rome Odunze | CHI
- Carnell Tate | TEN
- Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI
- DJ Moore | BUF
- Davante Adams | LAR
- Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX
- DK Metcalf | PIT
- Stefon Diggs | WAS
- Quentin Johnston | LAC
- Mike Evans | SF
- Michael Pittman Jr. | PIT
- Josh Downs | IND
- Jakobi Meyers | JAX
- Jayden Reed | GB
- Michael Wilson | ARI
- Wan’Dale Robinson | TEN
- Courtland Sutton | DEN
- Chris Godwin Jr. | TB
- Makai Lemon | PHI
- Khalil Shakir | BUF
- Jordan Addison | MIN
- Rashid Shaheed | SEA
- De’Zhaun Stribling | SF
- Romeo Doubs | NE
