How the 49ers can Supplement the Absence of Fred Warner Against Seattle

Operating without Fred Warner is going to be tough for the 49ers.

Winning in Seattle is rare for the 49ers.

Even with the Seahawks on a downward slope, they are still not to be overlooked.

The 49ers are hurting with key players out, but then again what else is knew on that front? Deebo Samuel and Fred Warner will be missing in action when the red and gold takes the field. Both players out is a sting to the team, but at least the 49ers have experience navigating the offense without Samuel.

Warner on the other hand has been healthy for every game of his career. This will be the first game that the 49ers will be without their All Pro linebacker. In a game that presents a critical matchup on the road, Warner's loss feels the most impactful. Luckily, Azeez Al-Shaair has been a monster this season and is capable of softening the blow from Warner's absence. 

However, Al-Shaair alone cannot make up for Warner's void. There needs to be other ways that the 49ers platoon Warner's impact and the overall linebacker spot in general as Al-Shaair kicks over to a different role.

Here is how the 49ers can supplement the absence of Warner against Seattle.

Obviously, Al-Shaair will be there, but you cannot double dip his impact into Warner's. There is going to be a large void no matter how you look at it. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles is going to get more run than usual. He is decent, but not one to give the utmost confidence in. There is Marcell Harris who has been contributing in the box, but he is in the concussion protocol, so I wouldn't be so keen on relying on him Sunday. 

There are a couple of ways to go about this. 

For starters, the 49ers have some great safeties who can play strong in the box. Jaquiski Tartt, Jimmie Ward, and Talanoa Hufanga can excel there. I do not anticipate Ward to kick down as he is way too critical as the outfield safety with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf lurking. Tartt and Hufanga are the best to handle these responsibilities. 

I would lean more toward Hufanga as he doesn't have the speed to last with Lockett and Metcalf should he be tasked up top. It is better to utilize him for anything underneath and ran up the middle. Now, I am not saying to exclusively use him there as I do not anticipate too much of a ground attack from the Seahawks. But Hufanga should see a sizeable workload there with some sprinkles of Tartt to keep the Seahawks guessing.

Speaking of guessing, DeMeco Ryans could incorporate some masked alignments to fool Russell Wilson into assuming defensive responsibilities. A ton of Wilson's mistakes this year has been through his deciphering of defenses. It isn't so much his finger injury, but the mental aspect of his game that is causing him to be errant. The 49ers can poach at that even with Warner out. 

Then there is the aspect of blitzing. Ryans can dip into that bag and unload those tricks more than usual. Nothing should be off limits here when it comes to the curveballs the 49ers can throw. They are trying to psych out the Seattle offense, while also masking their own hole with Warner out.

Supplementing and platooning what Warner does will not be fully attainable. 

But at least, there are a couple of ways that the 49ers can go about it to keep the defense stable.