After missing the past two games, running back Carlos Hyde is expected to return for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The San Francisco 49ers are 1-7 right now, with a seven-game losing streak going to boot. So they are clearly in a spoiler role for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, and Vegas likes the Cardinals as a 13.5-point favorite. But the 49ers are expected to have one of their best players, running back Carlos Hyde, back after a two-game absence.
#49ers RB Carlos Hyde (shoulder) is a game-time decision, but he should play today after missing two games, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 13, 2016
After missing the past two games with a shoulder injury, 49ers' RB Carlos Hyde expects to play Sunday vs. Cardinals, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 13, 2016
Hyde has missed the 49ers’ last two games with a right shoulder injury, with a Week 8 bye mixed in. DuJuan Harris is likely to maintain some sort of role this week, after a productive game last week (142 total yards on 15 touches with a receiving touchdown), and it’s worth wondering how much action Hyde actually sees if San Francisco is behind by a lot early in Sunday’s game.
Hyde was heavily involved in San Francisco’s Week 5 loss to Arizona, with 22 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown along with six catches for 36 yards. But he was 100 percent healthy then, and that doesn’t quite seem to be the case this week.
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In what’s shaping up to be a lost season for the 49ers, exposing to Hyde to a setback with his shoulder in a blowout game would be foolish. But the mere idea he is in line to play is good news, even if Hyde is another week from re-taking a big role in the 49ers’ offense.