On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers secured the NFC's No. 1 seed and home-field advantage. With little at stake in their regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, Week 18 provides an excellent opportunity for some ailing players, such as running back Christian McCaffrey, to rest and recover.
However, only some starters will get the week off entirely. Head coach Kyle Shanahan explained this week that the 49ers still need to field a team against the Rams.
"When you give guys the game off, practice changes, too, and that can end up hurting guys a lot, and you end up just developing bad habits," Shanahan said. "I've seen it cost a lot of teams."
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel anticipates suiting up and playing against the 49ers' divisional rival this weekend.
"You definitely want to keep the flow going, but you also want to give your body a rest," Samuel told Kay Adams on her FanDuel TV morning show. "So, I feel like we'll play this game for a good bit just to keep the groove going and not take too much time off. I feel like we're going to be going this week, as in practicing hard, and continue to do the things that we do.
"We just got to keep building, and we haven't played our best ball yet, so we just got to continue to get better and better each day."
When asked to confirm if he will play against the Rams, Samuel stated, "Yeah, for sure. ... It ain't no negotiation. I mean, once Coach say one thing, it's all hands on deck."
The coaches will see how this week progresses and formulate a plan for Sunday's game.
"You rest players, and that sometimes gets more players injured," Shanahan added. "So, all that stuff, you've got to balance out, and that's why there's not a clear-cut decision on anything. You've got to look in each individual, in each situation, and play it out as the week goes."
Deebo … are you playing Sunday?????#week18 @49ers @RamsNFL pic.twitter.com/udDIlbuZ7Y
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) January 2, 2024