San Francisco 49ers expected to be without two wide receivers in Week 1

The San Francisco 49ers are just a few days from the start of the 2019 season. Unfortunately, they will be without two of their receivers for their Week 1 matchup.

We are only a few days away from the start of the San Francisco 49ers‘ 2019 season and anticipation is continuing to build with every passing day.

There will be high expectations this season for a 49ers team that finished with just four wins last year. Much of that was due to a myriad of injuries that the team suffered, but now healthy and ready to compete, the excuses are limited.

This must be the year that the 49ers take a major leap forward as they attempt to return to the postseason for the first time since the 2013 season. In fact, San Francisco has finished below .500 in each of their last four seasons.

Another season of subpar play just won’t cut it.

Their trek back to the playoffs will begin the Sunday when the team takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they kick off their 2019 season. Fortunately, the 49ers appear to be pretty healthy going into their Week 1 matchup — with the exception of one position.

Only three players did not practice with the team on Wednesday and one of them was veteran stalwart left tackle Joe Staley who received a veteran’s day off. Staley will obviously be just fine for Sunday, but the same could not be said for two other members of the roster.

The other two 49ers players listed as “DNP’s” on the injury report were receivers Trent Taylor and Jalen Hurd.

More from San Francisco 49ers

• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
• 49ers sign TE Daniel Helm off the Buccaneers practice squad
• 49ers: Jordan Reed could miss up to two months, will be placed on IR

Taylor was initially selected by the team in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and the undersized slot wideout has carved out a nice role for himself on offense. Unfortunately, a summer injury will likely force him to miss some regular-season time.

The 25-year-old underwent foot surgery over three weeks ago but is still out rehabbing and working towards his eventual return. Head coach Kyle Shanahan hasn’t ruled out the possibility that Taylor plays on Sunday, but it does look extremely unlikely at this point.

The same should be said for rookie second-round pick Jalen Hurd. Hurd has been dealing with some nagging back injuries as of late and is status appears to be doubtful for Week 1.

Shanahan has insisted that his status is no longer day-to-day, but rather week-to-week with also isn’t encouraging for fans who want to see his debut as soon as possible.

More from Golden Gate Sports

• Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve

The plan appears to be to have the 49ers receivers who are active take on bigger roles and see more snaps on Sunday as a result.

That should leave plenty of touches for the likes of Marquise Goodwin, Dante Pettis, and Deebo Samuel who will each look to make a solid first impression in Week 1.

And that’s doubly true for Samuel who will be making his NFL debut, likely as the team’s primary third wide receiver. Of course, we will still see some of Kendrick Bourne at that spot and we could even see Richie James get some looks in the slot.

But Samuel’s versatility allows him to line-up both inside and outside making him the primary beneficiary of such an unfortunate development.

49ers fans will have to wait to see the return of Taylor and the debut of Hurd. But Sunday should be a fun game to watch regardless.