De’Zhaun Stribling Start or Sit Advice for Week 1
Stribling ($6,600 for Showdown) was a popular late-round pick for fantasy drafts this summer. The 49ers selected Stribling in the second-round of this past NFL Draft, after he produced 50+ catches, 800+ yards and six touchdowns in his final two seasons in college, between Oklahoma State and Ole Miss.
The 6’2″ wideout finished with an 85 athleticism score at the combine. He is set to be a starter for the 49ers right out of the gate this season. Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Kendrick Bourne all are no longer with San Francisco, while Ricky Pearsall (knee) is out for the season and Christian Kirk (calf) is on IR.
As a result, Stribling is the No.3 receiver on the 49ers’ depth chart, behind Mike Evans ($8,200) and Deebo Samuel Sr. ($7,000). That being said, how much volume will Stribling actually see in Thursday’s season opener vs. the Rams?
On top of Evans and Samuel Sr., this offense still features Christian McCaffrey ($10,600), who is the best receiving back in the NFL. It also features a seven-time Pro-Bowler in George Kittle ($7,400) at tight end, who may still be recovering from an Achilles tear he suffered eight months ago, but the veteran will play Thursday night nonetheless.
While all these players are over 30-years-old, they are still elite target earners. This past season, all four of these players commanded a target on at least 22% of their routes.
Stribling might be on the field for the majority of Brock Purdy’s dropbacks ($9,400) and the 49ers may be forced to air it out as a 3.5-point underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook, but expecting Stribling to see a high target share playing alongside these prominent pass catchers in his NFL debut is just unreasonable.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Stribling’s prop lines are very underwhelming, at 2.5 catches for 35.5 yards alongside long +380 odds to score a touchdown. We simply can’t expect much from the rookie in his NFL debut, and sitting Stribling vs. the Rams is the right move.
