49ers' lengthy first injury report for Week 5 game with Cardinals might not be as dire as it seems

The San Francisco 49ers will be without two All-Pros for their opening practice ahead of Sundays' Week 5 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

Kyle Shanahan confirmed that tight end George Kittle (ribs) and Fred Warner (ankle) would both miss Wednesday's practice.

Kittle finished the Week 4 win over the New England Patriots despite the injury. Warner left the game just before halftime and did not return.

That pair are among six players who Shanahan said would not practice, with Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) and Dee Winters (ankle), potentially both in line for significant snaps on defense against Arizona, also in that group. Gross Matos played 35 of the 64 defensive snaps in Week 4, his versatility in being able to play inside and out on the D-Line key for the 49ers in the wake of Javon Hargrave's season-ending injury .

All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga would be limited after missing the win over New England with an ankle injury, Shanahan said. Jordan Elliott, who left the Week 4 clash with a knee injury, was also designated as limited by the 49ers head coach, along with fellow defensive tackle Kevin Givens (triceps) and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf). Givens played 35 snaps against New England and Flannigan-Fowles played 46.

However, the lengthy injury report may not be as dire as it seems on first glance.

49ers preliminary injury report

DNP: LB Fred Warner (ankle), WR Jacob Cowing (shoulder), TE George Kittle (ribs), WR Chris Conley (oblique), DL Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), LB Dee Winters (ankle)

Limited: DT Jordan Elliott (knee), S Talanoa Hufanga (ankle), DT Kevin Givens (triceps), LB DemetriusFlannigan-Fowles (calf)

Indeed, Shanahan explained that a busy schedule for the 49ers and the weather conditions in the Bay Area contributed to them playing it safe with some players nursing injuries.

San Francisco faces the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football next week, four days after hosting the Cardinals. As such, the 49ers clearly felt the need to give players additional time to recover, especially with an excessive heat warning in place in the Bay Area.

Shanahan told a press conference: "We got two games here in the next eight days, so we got a lot of guys banged up and the heat the way it is today. So we're taking some stuff off guys today.

"Probably would have done that regardless, but knowing we're playing another one in eight days definitely made that decision easier."

Shanahan added that nothing had changed as to the status of the injuries from Monday, when he labeled every player who suffered an injury against New England as 'day-to-day'.

So there is no reason to panic yet about the length of the injury report and the importance of some of the players on it. Should the likes of Warner and Kittle miss Thursday's practice, then it will be time to be at least slightly concerned.

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