SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Giants will be without four starters Thursday night when they look to upset the powerhouse 49ers, but there will be one player returning to the field.
Wan’Dale Robinson, the speedy second-year wide receiver, is expected to make his season debut for the Giants at Levi’s Stadium.
Robinson has not played since last Nov. 20, when he tore his ACL in only his sixth game for the Giants in his rookie year.
The 2022 second-round draft pick was having his best game when he went down, having caught nine passes for 100 yards and his only touchdown of the season.
He finished his rookie year with 23 receptions for 227 yards.
This new front office and coaching regime believes the diminutive Robinson, 22, can do big things for the offense, especially as a target operating out of the slot and used in the backfield on jet sweeps and short pitch-outs.
The passing game, largely dormant for the first six quarters this season, awakened in the second half last Sunday in Arizona as the Giants turned a 21-point deficit into a 31-28 victory over the Cardinals.
It remains to be seen how Robinson’s impending activation affects veteran Sterling Shepard, the longest-tenured Giants player.
Shepard has been used sparingly in the first two games and has only one catch.
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The Giants rely heavily on Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins and Parris Campbell as targets for Daniel Jones, and rookie Jalin Hyatt, coming off an impactful game, is showing himself to be a legitimate speed threat down the field.
The Giants will go against the 49ers in San Francisco’s home opener without running back Saquon Barkley (ankle), left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) and left guard Ben Bredeson (concussion) on offense and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) on defense.