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49ers Wide Receiver Has Taken a Step Forward in His Injury Rehab
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- 49ers Wide Receiver Has Taken a Step Forward in His Injury Rehab
The one thing continuing to get in the way of the San Francisco 49ers' attempts to win the Super Bowl championship is the injury bug. During their last game, a 29-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, they were without wide receivers Mike Evans (Achilles), Deebo Samuel Sr. (hamstring), Demarcus Robinson (ankle) and De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle), and they simply had a lack of pass-catching threats as a result.
The Niners are hoping to get Evans and Samuel back as they come off their bye week and prepare to play against the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday. Robinson, who hasn't played since Week 2, also could return soon.
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Meanwhile, Stribling has apparently taken an important step toward his own potential return.
Stribling has overcome a hurdle
Matt Barrows of The Athletic noted in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Stribling was walking around on his own power on Monday.
"One notable sight from the 49ers' open locker room today: De'Zhaun Stribling walking around without crutches or any sort of brace/support on his lower leg," Barrows wrote.
Stribling, the No. 33 pick in April's NFL draft, showed promise during the preseason and looked like he was ready to contribute right away. Last season, at the University of Mississippi, he caught 55 passes for 811 yards and six touchdowns.
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He suffered a deltoid sprain in his ankle in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams, and he has yet to catch a pass in a regular-season game in the pros. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week that he's hoping Stribling will return "sometime in December."
Even with their injury problems at the wide receiver position, the 49ers have performed well offensively. They're currently fourth in points, sixth in total yards and sixth in rushing yards per attempt. Quarterback Brock Purdy ranks among the NFL's leaders in several key categories and has thrown for 1,748 yards, 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing 69.2% of his passing attempts.
Running back Christian McCaffrey also looks refreshed, and he's averaging 4.6 yards per carry, his highest output in that category since 2023. He has scored eight rushing touchdowns through seven games, compared to 10 rushing touchdowns all of last season.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
