3 49ers who need to step up against the Saints in Week 2

These three players are critical this week.

Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, left, and head coach Kyle Shanahan, right, exit the locker room during pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers are going to be shorthanded when they take on the New Orleans Saints. However, they are still favorites, and there is no reason for them to lose. Still, when others go down, core players on the roster need to step up. Who needs to rise to the occasion this week?

Deommodore Lenoir 

This could also include Renardo Green. The New Orleans Saints' offense is not great thanks to quarterback Spencer Rattler. However, they do have some playmakers who can make you pay if you give them enough time. Chris Olave is one of the better receivers in the NFL when it comes to creating separation, and Rashid Shaheed has the speed to make any team pay on one catch.

The 49ers are going to need a big performance from their top cornerback. If Lenoir shuts down whoever he is facing, then an offense that already struggles is going to be sputtering. The cornerbacks can put the team on their backs this week. 

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Marquez Valdes-Scantling 

The 49ers went out of their way to make sure Valdes-Scantling got onto the roster. They fought off the Pittsburgh Steelers and made practice squad moves to ensure he was signed. Now, they need to see some results. 

Ricky Pearsall had a big game in Week 1, but you know that the Saints are going to shift coverage to him when you consider George Kittle is out and Jauan Jennings is banged up himself. 

The Saints are not deep at cornerback. If the best cornerback and potentially extra attention shifts to Pearsall, Valdes-Scantling is going to get soft coverage and weak cornerback play. If he just makes one field-flipping catch this week, it may be worth the signing altogether. 

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Trent Williams

The 49ers' offensive line is average at best when they have Trent Williams playing to his standard. If Williams struggles, the line immediately becomes bad. We saw that against the Seattle Seahawks, when Williams looked rusty. He needs to step up this week to protect his backup quarterback. That's assuming Williams plays -- he has a knee injury and didn't practice fully this week, which means he doesn't appear to be 100 percent healthy.

They do not have George Kittle, who also improves the line, and they need to lean on the run game with a few pass catchers out. The Saints are without Chase Young, and while Cameron Jordan looked good in Week 1, he is getting older, and the depth behind him is not the scariest in the league. 

This is a huge game for Williams to show fans that he is not seeing the cliff.