Defensive back Jimmie Ward will practice on Wednesday. Although, head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't want to reveal to reporters whether he would line up at cornerback or safety.

Wide receiver Dante Pettis will also practice, which is good news for the injury-plagued group of receivers.

"I'm excited to get Dante back out there," Shanahan said before practice. "Hopefully he has a healthy week of practice, and we can ease him (in) and get him going throughout the rest of the year."

Cornerback Richard Sherman, tackle Joe Staley, and running back Matt Breida will not practice on Wednesday as the San Francisco 49ers prepare for their Week 8 rematch against the Arizona Cardinals, Shanahan revealed.


Another player who will sit out Wednesday's practice is veteran wide receiver Pierre Garçon, who has had a disappointing season thus far. He has just 21 receptions for 230 yards and hasn't found the end zone yet. While he is the team's leading wide receiver, both tight end Goerge Kittle and even fullback Kyle Juszczyk have more receiving yards and three touchdowns between the two.

Garçon is dealing with a knee injury, which has likely contributed to his underwhelming statistics. His one reception for five yards during Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams marked his lowest total since a three-catch, five-yard performance with Washington in 2012.

"Pierre is definitely someone who can help us," Shanahan said. "He has at times. He got a lot more opportunities last year before he got hurt, also. I don't think all of our guys have gotten a ton of opportunities this year. It's been up and down with that.

"I was expecting him to come on pretty strong here in the recent weeks, but he's definitely been battling through some tough stuff here the last two weeks. That's why he's not in there today at practice, and he'll probably be doubtful for the game this week because of that."

Shanahan said Garçon needs to get back to full strength to help the team, which is why a week off may do him some good.


49ers wide receivers, many of whom have been dealing with injuries, have combined for 798 receiving yards. Two NFL receivers, Adam Thielen and Julio Jones, each have more receiving yards by themselves.

Injuries have prevented quarterback C.J. Beathard from having consistency with his receivers during practices.

"It definitely makes it a little bit tougher just not having the same guys," Beathard said on Wednesday. "It's nice to have a routine, the same guys in there. Obviously, it would help to have everyone healthy, as it would at any position but that's part of football. You've just got to go with the guys you have in there and trust in them."

The 49ers will have three practices this week with their first scheduled for 1:25 p.m. on Wednesday.
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