Ricky Pearsall's season is over before it started — season-ending knee surgery and an IR placement remove him entirely from the fantasy equation. Drop him in all redraft formats; there's no upside to stash since he won't return this year. This is a confirmed, high-confidence report, so treat the WR3 role in San Francisco's offense as officially vacated for 2024.

The direct beneficiary in this cluster is Deebo Samuel, whose target share and offensive touchdown equity both get a bump with Pearsall gone. Samuel was already going to be a core piece of the 49ers passing game, and this only solidifies his floor — treat him as a locked-in early-round WR in draft prep, with slightly increased ceiling given the reduced competition for targets. Rookie De'Zhaun Stribling also stands to see a real jump in snaps and looks; he's worth a speculative add and a late-round dart throw or deep-bench stash, especially in dynasty or larger redraft leagues, though his role is unproven and he shouldn't be drafted as more than a flier right now.

Mike Evans is named as a beneficiary here too, but note this appears to be a cross-team mention rather than a 49ers corollary — treat any added value for Evans as speculative and tied to his own team's target distribution rather than directly caused by Pearsall's injury. Don't overreact and bump his draft slot based on this news alone.

Bottom line: cut or bench Pearsall, lock in Samuel's value, and use a late-round pick or waiver stash on Stribling as a change-of-scenery/opportunity bet heading into the season.