The San Francisco 49ers appear to be going with youth along the defensive line for Week 16 as they prepare to host the 10-4 playoff-bound Chicago Bears.
Veteran defensive tackles Sheldon Day and Earl Mitchell are among those inactive for the contest, meaning second-year nose tackle D.J. Jones should see a lot of action after assuming more prominent roles the past two weeks. The Bears enter this Week 16 bout with the league's 13th overall rush offense but are averaging a mere 4.2 yards per rush -- 27th in the NFL.
Here's the full list of Niners inactives for Sunday's contest:
DB Jaquiski Tartt
RB Alfred Morris
S Tyree Robinson
OL Erik Magnuson
OT Shon Coleman
NT Earl Mitchell
DL Sheldon Day
Safety Jaquiski Tartt, who will land on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, will be replaced by the rookie, Marcell Harris. Harris has filled in for Tartt as a starter the past two games and will continue to do so for the rest of the season, barring injury or a complete meltdown.
Also of note, Week 16 will most likely mark rookie cornerback Tarvarius Moore's first start at the NFL level. Moore came in for second-year corner Ahkello Witherspoon during the Niners' overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks last week after Witherspoon suffered a sprained knee in the first quarter, which landed him on injured reserve. Despite giving up a touchdown early after coming in, Moore bounced back with a solid seven-tackle, two-pass breakup game.
The 49ers and Bears kick off at 4:05 p.m. ET from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
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