Now that the 49ers have clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed, San Francisco doesn’t have anything to play for in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Rams.
But head coach Kyle Shanahan noted when speaking to reporters on Monday that there are plenty of considerations in either resting players or having them play in Week 18.
For his part, receiver Deebo Samuel said in an interview with Kay Adams on her FanDuel TV morning show that he’s anticipating being on the field this weekend.
“You definitely want to keep the flow going, but you also want to give your body a rest,” Samuel said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “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.”
As a follow-up on whether or not he’s playing, Samuel added, “Yeah, for sure. … It ain’t no negotiation. I mean, once coach say one thing, it’s all hands on deck.”
Shanahan has already noted that running back Christian McCaffrey won’t play in Week 18, as he’s dealing with a calf strain. Left tackle Trent Williams, who has been banged up, also may not suit up. But with only so many players able to be inactive, the 49ers will likely have to have some of their key players on the field Sunday afternoon. Samuel is at least expecting to be one of them.
