San Francisco 49ers receiver De'Zhaun Stribling will miss at least a month
with an ankle injury, which means Kyle Shanahan will need to reconfigure his offensive game plan to determine who will see the field more now that his promising rookie won't be able to play. While the offense didn't miss a beat in Stribling's absence, the rookie had played 21 snaps before leaving the game — which led all 49ers receivers at the time.With Stribling sidelined, The Athletic's Matt Barrows expects both Deebo Samuel's and Demarcus Robinson's playing time to climb, but he thinks Robinson's rises more because the team will want to keep Samuel fresh for the rest of the season.
Samuel might be more effective occasionally being featured on plays than he would if
he were a nearly every-down receiver.
Robinson's case, meanwhile, is built on chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy that never got a clean runway last season. He connected with Purdy in training camp, then missed the first three games to suspension. By the time he returned, Purdy was hurt, and Robinson didn't click the same way with Mac Jones, who leaned on Kendrick Bourne instead. Only late in the year, once Purdy was back and healthy, did Robinson become a consistent factor — a rapport Barrows expects to resume now.
When Robinson stepped in for Stribling in Week 1, the receiver caught two passes for 50 yards — including a 39-yard touchdown.
Besides Robinson's usage seeing an uptick, Barrows also expects KhaDarel Hodge to be elevated from the practice squad, as well as the eventual activation of Christian Kirk off injured reserve once he's eligible in Week 5.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers insider predicts how WR room shakes out after Stribling injury
