San Francisco 49ers (2-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-2)
UPDATE – Eagles Pro Bowl QB Michael Vick will wear a Kevlar glove to protect his injured right (non-throwing) hand in today’s game.
The 49ers take their 2-1 record to Philadelphia where the Eagles are 1-0 in games that quarterback Michael Vick finished, and 0-2 in games where Vick ended up on the sidelines. The task for linebacker Patrick Willis and the 49ers defense will be to get to Vick early.
Key Player Updates
Eagles QB Michael Vick (hand) put in a full week of practice and will start against the 49ers on Sunday. The injury is to his non-throwing hand, so it shouldn’t impact his passing. Vick needs to be considered a risky option after leaving the past 2 games early, but his upside makes him worth gambling on.
“It’s sore, it’s real sore,” Vick said. “But you know what? I feel like I’ve played through worse. And I think the most important thing is to go out and just try to play and be conscious of protecting it but at the same time let it all go. If it’s too much that I can’t bear or something is really wrong, then I’ll probably come out of the game.”
Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin (hamstring) practiced again on Friday and is listed as probable for this weekend’s game against the 49ers. The “probable” tag is encouraging — it sounds like he’s close to 100%. There’s still a chance of an in-game aggravation, so Maclin isn’t the safest play out there. But he also has big-time upside against San Fran’s 28th-ranked defense against WRs.
49ers RB Frank Gore (ankle) was limited again on Friday and is officially questionable for this weekend’s game against the Eagles. It’s looking like he’ll play but have his touches limited. RB Kendall Hunter will pick up the slack. Despite a favorable matchup, you’re better off avoiding this situation in fantasy this week. If Gore ends up inactive, though, Hunter would become an intriguing option.
49ers WR Michael Crabtree (foot) was limited in practice all week but is listed as probable for Sunday’s game against the Eagles. He’ll play but isn’t a fantasy option at less than 100% against a stacked Philly secondary.
