Brett

Swain

Ted Ginn will be the No. 2 receiver and Kyle Williams will be the No. 3. Swain is expected to be active for a special teams role and insurance. There’s no upside in using any of the 49ers’ wideouts in fantasy.

Swain, who turns 27 in June, caught two passes for 15 yards in five game appearances last season. The Niners initially failed to tender Swain in restricted free agency, but he’ll return on a deal for the veteran’s minimum.

The upshot is that Ted Ginn is likely locked in as the fourth receiver and return specialist. With first-rounder A.J. Jenkins joining Mario Manningham and Randy Moss as 2012 additions, Kyle Williams and Brett Swain appear to be crowded out of the picture at wide receiver.

The club is interested in signing Swain to a contract for the veteran’s minimum. The former undrafted free agent finished last season with two catches for 15 yards in five appearances. He’s more of a special teamer than wideout.

Swain was responsible for four of Alex Smith’s 10 incompletions in an inefficient performance. With Williams and Ginn now having two more weeks to heal up after the 49ers clinched the NFC’s No. 2 playoff seed this afternoon, Swain may not even be active for the Divisional Round. Signed in early October, he made two catches in five games this season.

Kyle Williams (concussion) and Ted Ginn (ankle) both missed a second straight practice, leaving their status in question for the season finale. Swain would be no more than a desperation fantasy play at St. Louis on Sunday.

Swain is an adept special teamer, but caught just six passes for 63 yards in the preseason, and has only eight grabs in 27 career games. He’ll crack someone’s roster before the season is through, however. Undrafted out of Stanford due in large part to his concussion history, Owusu is a strong candidate for the practice squad. It’s the second straight year Reuland has been waived at final cuts.

Swain isn’t practice squad eligible as he played all 16 games with the Packers as a fifth receiver and special teamer last season. He’ll play a similar role in San Francisco behind Michael Crabtree, Ted Ginn, and Kyle Williams. It seems that the Niners have opted against signing T.J. Houshmandzadeh or Chris Chambers.

Swain was originally picked up by the Packers as an undrafted free agent out of San Diego State, so Seahawks GM John Schneider has some familiarity with him. Swain will compete for a fifth receiver role in Seattle’s training camp.

It’s a pretty big surprise the veteran lost out to rookie Brett Swain. Martin had been pretty reliable over the last few seasons, but it looks like the Packers wanted Swain for his special teams play.