Who's ruled out for 49ers-Rams, and how SF may handle stake-less game

The 49ers are playing coy about who is and isn't playing on Sunday. The Rams are not.

Now, part of that is just due to roster construction. The 49ers have a dozen players on deals worth $27 million or more. They're star studded. The Rams, meanwhile, have had to lean on their smaller group of stars, all of whom are resting Sunday.

Here's what we know about who each team is resting Sunday. Then we'll get into how the 49ers will probably handle rest.

Even though the Rams could drop to the seventh seed with a loss and a Green Bay Packers win on Sunday, Sean McVay doesn't seem to care all that much. He's resting his guys.

McVay said Wednesday that he would sit Matthew Stafford and start Carson Wentz in his place. He also ruled out the following players:

- WR Cooper Kupp
- RB Kyren Williams
- DT Aaron Donald
- LB Ernest Jones
- TE Tyler Higbee (shoulder)
- OT Joe Noteboom (foot)

Interestingly (or understandably), Puka Nacua will play. He is just four catches and 29 yards away from breaking the NFL record for catches and receiving yards in a single season by a rookie. Nacua is at 1,445 receiving yards, behind Ja'Marr Chase (1,455 yards) and Bill Groman (1,471 yards). It's a 63-year-old record.

One thing Kyle Shanahan got out of the way is this: Brock Purdy will not play.

He also confirmed a few other injuries, but didn't shed too much light on who will and won't play for San Francisco. Given their long list of injuries and the limited roster flexibility they have, that's not all that surprising. Here's who's ruled out so far:

- QB Brock Purdy
- RB Christian McCaffrey (calf strain, said he could play if it was a consequential game)
- DT Arik Armstead (foot, knee)
- CB Ambry Thomas (hand, underwent surgery Tuesday, but not expected to miss more than a week)
- S Tashaun Gipson Sr. (quad strain, 7-10 day timeline)
- TE Ross Dwelley (high ankle sprain)

Here are the other players with injury statuses:

- WR Jauan Jennings (concussion): He returned to practice Wednesday after missing the two prior games with a concussion.
- OL Jaylon Moore (concussion): Moore remains in the protocol and wasn't seen at practice.
- S Ji'Ayir Brown (knee): Shanahan said Monday that he was "not sure whether he has a chance or not."
- WR Ray-Ray McCloud (ribs): McCloud had his 21-day practice return window opened and returned to practice Wednesday. He has been on injured reserve since November 23, when he suffered a broken rib. Shanahan said Monday that he "will have a chance to be up" for Sunday's game.
- WR Danny Gray (shoulder): Gray had his 21-day practice window opened last week, but it's unclear, if not unlikely, that there's a spot for him.
- IOL Jon Feliciano (back): He ended up on the injury report this week.

This is effectively a preseason game, and it's almost like a roster cutdown situation. The 49ers just need enough bodies to get through the game, and while they're stressing the importance of treating this practice week seriously, there are certain players who simply shouldn't play Sunday.

It seems a bit like Shanahan is trying to keep that vague to ensure that those high-value players keep the energy and intent high this week in practice. The reality is that they may be told they're not playing just before the game, or late in the week.

He laughed when asked if Trent Williams (who was not seen in the locker room or practice field Wednesday) could use the week off, before putting a serious face back on. It seems far-fetched that he would play.

With five players already ruled out, here's what the 49ers should do. This isn't what anyone has suggested they will do, just what makes the most sense:

Inactive:
- QB Brock Purdy
- RB Christian McCaffrey
- DT Arik Armstead
- CB Ambry Thomas
- S Tashaun Gipson Sr.
- LT Trent Williams
- OL Jaylon Moore (if in protocol), or S Ji'Ayir Brown

Practice squad activations:
- RB Ty Davis-Price
- S Erik Harris

Roster moves:
- TE Ross Dwelley placed on injured reserve
- CB Jason Verrett promoted to active roster

QB: Sam Darnold (starts), Brandon Allen (finishes)
TB: Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Ty Davis-Price (practice squad)
FB (active, not playing): Kyle Juszczyk
TE: Charlie Woerner, Brayden Willis (takes Kyle Juszczyk's snaps at fullback)
TE (active, not playing): George Kittle (plays one series, at most one quarter, or preferably, not at all - only thought to let him play is that tight end will be thin, and if someone is hurt later in the game, you won't want to put Kittle back in. They could also play a larger receiver at tight end in that case)
WR: Ronnie Bell, Ray-Ray McCloud, Jauan Jennings, Chris Conley
WR: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk (one quarter)
OL: (if healthy) Jaylon Moore, Colton McKivitz, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford, Ben Bartch, Matt Pryor
OL (active, not playing): Aaron Banks, Jon Feliciano (doesn't play unless needed)
DL: Chase Young, Javon Kinlaw, Kevin Givens, Randy Gregory, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Clelin Ferrell, Robert Beal Jr.
DL (active, not playing): Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave
LB: Oren Burks, Dee Winters, Jalen Graham, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
LB (active, not playing): Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw
CB: Deommodore Lenoir, Samuel Womack III, Darrell Luter Jr., Jason Verrett (promoted to roster)
CB (active, not playing): Charvarius Ward (plays maybe a quarter)
S: Logan Ryan, Isaiah Oliver (switches to nickel for Lenoir in second half), Erik Harris (practice squad), Ji'Ayir Brown (probably doesn't play, but goes a quarter if healthy)
ST: Jake Moody, Mitch Wishnowsky, Taybor Pepper

Assuming the math on all this is correct, this lets the 49ers go with Sam Darnold at quarterback until Brandon Allen takes over late in the game. They won't have Trent Williams, Aaron Banks or Jon Feliciano (barring injury protecting them).

There's an opportunity to add offensive line depth from the practice squad, but that's probably more well-used in the secondary.

At running back, Elijah Mitchell will get a few opportunities to start the game, but Jordan Mason will be the workhorse with some Ty Davis-Price reps, too.

Given that Jauan Jennings and Ray-Ray McCloud are both coming back from sideline stints, it could make sense to give Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel a quarter or so, before leaning on Ronnie Bell and Chris Conley.

At tight end, it makes a ton of sense to place Ross Dwelley on injured reserve. The extra roster spot is invaluable this week, especially in the secondary, and the 49ers can get enough out of Charlie Woerner and need reps for Brayden Willis.

On the defensive line, Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave have to be no-gos. Outside of that, everyone should play, with Chase Young the first one off the field.

At linebacker, there's enough depth that neither Fred Warner nor Dre Greenlaw should take a snap.

In the secondary, it's ugly, but there should be just enough. Deommodore Lenoir is the one guy that is probably going to have to play even though you would love to avoid it. That also depends on whether Isaiah Oliver takes over at nickel or safety, where things are threadbare.

They'll lean on Darrell Luter Jr. and Samuel Womack III, and hope Logan Ryan and Erik Harris (or Tayler Hawkins) from the practice squad or Oliver can get through the game.

This gets as many starters off the field as possible while simultaneously providing the slimmest bit of cover if someone gets hurt. Again, this is a guess at what the 49ers will do in a bizarre situation, not what will happen.