49ers are Holding a Few Star Players out of Wednesday's Practice
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A bit of concerning news revolving around a few star players on the 49ers.
Christian McCaffrey (calf), Deebo Samuel (ankle), and Elijah Mitchell (groin) are being held out of Wednesday's practice. Kyle Shanahan expects them to play on Sunday in the NFC championship game against the Eagles.
Holding these three star players out is a precautionary measure by the 49ers. It's wise to give them a day of rest and recovery to give them a better chance at being 100 percent for the title game. The 49ers cannot be without any of these players if they want their likelihood of winning to remain in fair standing.
Still, the fact that these three pivotal players are dealing with an injury is at minimum lightly concerning. It means they will be playing in a limited fashion. Not so much that their snaps will be reduced, although that could happen, but more so that their abilities will be limited.
McCaffrey looked like he was dealing with some limitation against Dallas, and sure enough he was on the sideline getting his calf worked on. Now his calf is bothersome to the point that he cannot participate during practice. The same thing with Samuel and Mitchell. They both are just a few weeks removed from returning from their previous injuries. It is just something to keep an eye when game day arrives to see how effective these players will be.
Against the Cowboys they were not nearly as impactful as they could be. Part of that is definitely due to Dallas having an elite defense, but now it looks like another part is that they were dealing with an injury that was nagging them. Hopefully a day off will get them as close, if not right at full strength because the 49ers really need all of their star players to be at their best.
