49ers Rookie De'Zhaun Stribling Sidelined With Ankle Sprain

The San Francisco 49ers cruised to a 27-7 opening-week win over the Los Angeles Rams, but the NFL injury tax has already come due. Rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling is out for at least a month after suffering a deltoid sprain in his ankle during the opener.

According to Ian Rapoport, Stribling left the game early and is currently seeking second opinions. While surgery is not the official plan right now, it remains a very real possibility depending on what the doctors say.

"Ian Rapoport reported that Stribling is seeking opinions and while surgery is not currently planned, it is possible."

A "deltoid sprain in the ankle" sounds like a fake medical term you invent to get out of helping a friend move a sectional sofa, but it is a legitimate setback for a rookie trying to carve out a role.

Missing a month of your rookie season is a brutal speed bump. The NFL does not pause for anyone to catch up on the playbook, and San Francisco is notoriously cautious when it comes to rushing players back from lower-body injuries.

For anyone monitoring 49ers futures or trying to figure out their fantasy waiver wire, this means San Francisco will have to shuffle their receiver rotation for the next four to six weeks. Depth is a wonderful luxury until you actually have to test it in September.

The immediate focus shifts to how the 49ers patch the hole in their depth chart heading into Week 2. As for Stribling, the clock is ticking on those second opinions to find out if his rookie year is just on a brief pause or facing a much longer delay.